The San Jose police chief released a video on Tuesday using artificial intelligence to translate his voice into Spanish with a message that the department is not enforcing immigration laws.
In the video, Prime Minister Paul Joseph emphasizes that San Jose police officers do not enforce federal immigration laws, do not ask about the status of people's immigration, and that anyone can report crimes without fear of the consequences of immigration.
Joseph said at a press conference Tuesday that AI's translation of his voice into Spanish was an idea that the department's media-related unit came up with.
They said, “Hey, this might be a great way to communicate with our community in a way that will make them receive the message more clearly, and in a way that makes them more comfortable to listen,” Joseph said.
Some local law enforcement agencies and jurisdictions have restricted cooperation with federal immigration authorities to build trust with the immigrant community. Joseph said he believes that some community members are afraid to report crimes about immigration enforcement concerns. He added that the department has seen a decline in reports of domestic and sexual assault over the past six months, but it is unclear why.
“If you're afraid to contact police when you're a victim of a crime, it's probably not what they won't do that,” Joseph said. “We are not trying to stop trying to build that trust and strengthen our relationship with our community, so if it helps people feel they can call us when they need our help, it's all worth it, it's all worth the experiment.”
Some members of the community are questioning why immigration organizer Laurie Valdez uses Silicon Valley de-Bug, and why Spanish-speaking people within the department could not convey the same message.
“If he couldn't speak it, he should have had one of his executives who could talk about it. “It's like a joke to me. It's like a slap in the face of the Latino community.”
Valdez added that while the message is more important than ever, how it is delivered will bring more weight.
“We can't police the community. [that] Valdez said.
Joseph said it is important for residents to hear messages directly from the police chief, and if the message is well received, future messages can be translated into other languages via AI.
“This is exactly the kind of innovation we should lead,” Mayor Matt Mahan said in a prepared statement. “Using AI to break through language barriers and connect directly with residents is a smart, caring use of technology. I have made sure to ensure that all San Jose police departments know they can trust and rely on them, regardless of what every San Jose family talks about.”
