County & Local

Santa Clara, California, Sheriff tests translation tool ahead of FIFA World Cup

County officials said they expect a new tool, called Pocketalk, to improve communications, especially for law enforcement deputies.

By Sophia Fox-Sowell

February 10, 2026

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Days before the Super Bowl and months ahead of the FIFA World Cup, the Santa Clara, California, Sheriff’s Office launched a new speech translation pilot project to help strengthen communication between the law enforcement, correctional officers and non-English speaking members of its community.

The technology, called Pocketalk, and which includes a physical device and app, translates speech into 92 languages. Expansion of the year-long pilot, funded by the Sheriff’s advisory board, will depend on feedback from deputies and community interactions, particularly during the World Cup. Levi’s Stadium, in the San Francisco Bay Area’s Santa Clara, will host six matches.

FIFA projects the international event will bring 6.5 million in-person attendees to stadiums across Canada, Mexico and the United States.

“This could really improve communications, especially for deputies in the field,” Brooks Jarosz, a county spokesperson, said in an interview. “And this is not a mandate or something that our deputies have to use is just another optional tool in their tool belt to allow them to better communicate with visitors and residents alike.”

Similar to Google Translate, users can speak into the device or app, and within seconds, the tool translates the speech into the selected written and spoken language. Jarosz said that the department vetted the technology for data privacy and security, and determined not to add data retention and only use the tool for investigative purposes during the trial period. However, conversations are saved in the app for 24 hours.

The pilot launched Feb. 2.

“We wanted the deputies to be able to go back and review or see as well what what the conversation looked like,” Jarosz said.

The initiative is part of the a larger effort by the sheriff’s department to modernize law enforcement technology, including exploring drones as first responders, expanding license plate readers for crime tracking and launching a more public database for more transparency.