The Las Vegas jail is adding a new technology that police say will help detect "concerning language" in inmates' phone calls. Las Vegas Metropolitan Police say they will implement Word Alert technology to identify potentially dangerous calls made from the Clark County Detention Center. There were nearly 1.5 million phone calls made from the detention center in 2021, and officers monitored all of them, reports News3LV.com.
The department said monitoring calls is "tedious, costly and time-consuming." Word alert would automatically transcribe all calls and translate them to English if necessary, allowing officers to find any portion of a call that is concerning. "The Word Alert technology is estimated to cut the research time for our officers by 30-50% in identifying concerning language or conversations that might indicate illegal activity, escape plans, or an inmate who may be in danger," police said. The technology was purchased with a $45,000 grant from the Nevada Department of Public Safety's Office of Criminal Justice Assistance.