Customer Stories
On September 8, the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office responded to a call involving a UPS driver who reported that a man had jumped into his truck and refused to let him stop. Deputies tracked the vehicle as it entered Albuquerque, moving in for a high-risk stop. The suspect was taken into custody, but claimed he couldn’t speak English.
Deputy Joshua Sanchez-Mirabal said, “He knew some words, but he didn't really understand. That was the hard disconnect on trying to explain what's going on, why we're here, what we're doing. He kind of understands, to where he put his hands behind his back, he kept his hands up. We finally put him in cuffs and placed him in the back of a patrol vehicle. That's when they were saying he doesn't speak English, that it's pretty broken up, and we're not sure how to interview him.“
That’s when Deputy Joshua Sanchez-Mirabal turned to a tool he’d only trained on two weeks earlier—Axon Assistant’s Real-Time Translation on his Axon Body 4 camera.
Sanchez-Mirabal said, “I [thought] might as well see if it has whatever he’s speaking. One of my partners said she thought it was Russian. So I said, ‘Alright, well, let’s try this body cam and see if it speaks Russian.’”
As the device translated English to Russian—and Russian back to English—the communication barrier disappeared. “I just started off explaining to him that my body camera was going to utilize that live translation,” Sanchez-Mirabal said. “That’s when he kind of just started looking at the body camera. I tried to explain to him it’s going to translate for us to figure out what’s going on. I read Miranda Rights in English, it translated it automatically to Russian. We communicated back and forth, utilizing the live translation on the body camera itself.”
The effect was immediate. “He was shocked,” Sanchez-Mirabal said. “It was something that he’s never seen before. It’s new technology, so I think he was just like, wow, I can actually speak to him in my language, that way they understand correctly on what’s going on with me. Having people speak in their language is the biggest tool for us, because they can tell us everything verbatim, and we’re not skipping out on things they don’t know how to say in English.”
Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office body-worn camera footage
Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office body-worn camera footage
The technology didn’t just allow communication—it changed the energy of the encounter. “I do believe it de-escalated it,” he said. “There are situations where we don’t know what they’re saying, and they get frustrated. It’s a tool that we can use to de-escalate situations to where, okay, I understand what you’re going through, let’s try to get you some help.”
Both of his partners were stunned by what they saw. “They were like, ‘Oh, that is the coolest thing ever!’ It was a good call for service to actually test something out in live action—and something beyond Spanish.”
For Lt. Will Corvin, who oversees Real-Time Operations and the agency’s Operational Intelligence Unit, the call became an immediate validation of the technology. Watching the video afterward, Corvin said the suspect’s reaction spoke volumes. “As soon as he realizes that this camera is speaking Russian to him, you can really see his demeanor change,” he said. “He even starts to realize he has to wait for the beep. It wasn’t prompted by the deputy, but he’d turn his head and wait for the beep to listen more intently for that translation.”
For Corvin, the success of the call reinforced how Axon Assistant will help to improve communication and community engagement across Bernalillo County. Corvin said, “There’s been a lot of times we’ve encountered language barriers and had to wait for someone else to arrive. Having that translate option immediately there—it gives a little sense of calm to whoever we’re talking to. Being able to effectively communicate with anybody who needs law enforcement assistance, that’s going to be a really solid win for us. The system’s only going to get better.”
For Sheriff John Allen, the moment marked more than just a successful use of technology—it was proof of concept for the department’s investment in Axon’s AI Era Plan. “Everyone talks about AI is coming—AI’s here,” Allen said. “My vision is, you’re always using technology to supplement your personnel. And it’s really just a force multiplier.”
Sheriff Allen said the real-time translation case captured the power of AI to improve safety, efficiency, and trust. “That Russian translation that we put out there—saying there’s no language barrier—I think that answered questions for the world,” he said. “Before, we didn’t want AI in police work. Now people are asking for more of it, because they’re seeing the advantages.”
The sheriff believes these innovations are changing not only how deputies respond, but how communities connect with law enforcement. “We’ve been talking about de-escalation for a decade,” Allen said. “But now that technology is being utilized, we’re seeing it happen faster and safer. The change in the language barrier gap—that’s a game changer.”
As agencies across the country explore the role of AI in public safety, Bernalillo County’s experience offers a glimpse into what’s possible—how new tools can bridge language barriers, enhance trust, and make policing safer for both officers and the communities they serve.
Sheriff Allen summed it up simply: “ This technology is helping deputies do their jobs more efficiently, serve the public more effectively, and stay safer on every call. That’s the future of policing—safer, smarter, and more connected.”