Get the latest Syracuse news delivered right to your inbox.
Subscribe to our newsletter here.

With the approval of the Syracuse Police Reform and Reinvention Plan in May 2021, the Syracuse Police Department began use of the Voiance app, a mobile translation tool that aims to increase communication and accessibility between police and non-English speaking residents.

Since its implementation, SPD Public Information Officer Lt. Matthew Malinowski said that the app has been useful to officers in their investigations and has aided in the pursuit of communicating well with everyone in the community.

In the past, when interacting with people speaking languages other than English, it was challenging for SPD to find an officer who speaks that specific language, Malinowski said.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 18.6% of Syracuse residents over the age of 5 speak a language other than English in the home. Malinowski said that Spanish and Burmese are the most and second-most used languages by the department, respectively.

“We continue to diversify this community, and we try to diversify this department. But I would say it would be a very significant lift to try to have a police officer who can speak every language that we serve in this community. So we found (Voiance) very useful,” Malinowski said.

The department purchased the app in February 2021 and started the training and rollout on how to use the app in the second quarter of 2021, according to the plan’s progress update. The update classified the implementation of the Voiance app as “completed,” indicating that “the administration has met its commitment on a police reform action and published proof of completion,” according to the reporting progress breakdown.

Danny Kahn | Design Editor

SPD held multiple forums for public comment on the department’s reform and reinvention plan. The department heard community members’ input on the plan as it was being developed in early 2021, before the Voiance app was settled upon and implemented.

In one of the January 2021 public hearings, community member and former county director of human rights Barrie Gewanter praised the prospect of increased language accessibility but said the department should do more beyond the app.

“Having an on demand interpreter program on a phone app or a tablet is great. However, that’s not enough,” Gewanter said during the forum. “There also has to be training for officers in when it’s necessary to use it, how to work with an interpreter, and also how to recognize and communicate what kind of interpreter you need based not only on country but also on ethnic group, and also based on other dynamics such as gender.”

Gewanter, who has worked with the new American community and with local Deaf and disability advocates and has expertise in Title VI and the Americans with Disabilities Act, worked with the department to create and augment policies for interpretation and translation in the city of Syracuse, for both people who speak English and people who use symbolic languages like American Sign Language.

“​​This was a good example of how police community relations can be enhanced by open dialogue between police and community members,” Gewanter told The Daily Orange. “We had knowledge that they needed to take a step forward. They listened and recognized this, then reached out and followed through.”

The department worked with Gewanter to develop the Communication with People with Limited English Proficiency, a policy that aims to enhance communication between community members and officers and continue to bridge language barriers.

The policy establishes that the department should never refuse service to a limited English proficient individual and specifies five types of language assistance, including in-person and on-site interpreters, remote audio or video interpreter service, bilingual department members (in the absence of an authorized member), an authorized bilingual department member and approved community volunteers.

The plan also states that the department will continue to work with community groups, local businesses and neighborhoods to ensure that all community members have equal access to the language services it establishes.

“All this was a huge step forward for SPD, and I was very pleased that they asked for my input and assistance,” Gewanter said. “This new policy, procedure and training will help make police services available to the many people in our community with limited English proficiency. That is about fundamental equality as well as effective community service, and SPD seems to have truly grasped this need.”

Published on March 7, 2022 at 1:12 am

Contact Jana: jlseal@syr.edu | @JanaLoSeal