APCO conference and expo is always a premier event for public safety communications. The latest show, held in Baltimore at the end of July, brought together thousands of public safety professionals and technology vendors.

There were fascinating demonstrations in various fields, including robotics, cybersecurity, and critical communications. Attendees were impressed by the deployment of automated drones for emergencies. A drone, integrated with the dispatch system to receive incident locations in real time, flies automatically to the scene ahead of ground units to provide immediate aid or live footage. The potential to save lives is clear, such as rapid delivery of a defibrillator for a cardiac patient minutes before EMS arrives.

Another standout use case was real-time language translation in emergencies. With increasingly diverse communities, language barriers become a significant issue, calling for AI-driven translation services for emergency centers and field operations. For example, Axon’s new body-worn camera assistant can perform real-time translation of spoken language.

POLYN visited APCO 2025 to explore the latest trends in voice processing technology and AI integration in next-generation radio hardware. These innovations were on full display, as traditional two-way radio makers introduced new solutions that blur the line between conventional radios and smart devices.

AI integration in critical communications emerged as a significant focus, underscoring that AI is no longer just hype but a reality in emergency centers and field operations. Tying these together are AI voice processing technologies, from translation tools to voice assistants embedded in equipment.

Public safety radios are evolving beyond push-to-talk voice into versatile, data-rich communication tools. Many vendors highlighted multi-band, multi-network radios that ensure responders can communicate “without limits.”

For example, L3Harris showcased its new XL Converge series of portable radios, which offer interoperability across frequency bands and even integrate LTE and Wi-Fi for broadband connectivity. These rugged devices demonstrate how mission-critical radios are adding smartphone-like capabilities (touch screens, apps, data connectivity) without sacrificing reliability.

The emphasis was still on core radio performance. Features like built-in LTE, advanced noise cancellation, and location tracking are now becoming standard, enabling better coverage and situational awareness for first responders.

One particularly important subset of the AI trend is the rise of voice processing in public safety. There is increasing integration of voice assistants and voice controls in various products. Motorola Solutions offers ViQi, a built-in virtual assistant in its APX NEXT radios, which enables officers to perform database queries or adjust radio settings with simple voice commands. In one demo, an officer simply spoke a license plate number into the radio, and the system retrieved the vehicle’s information in seconds – no manual lookup was needed.

Another example was AI-driven language translation capability. Motorola’s latest platform can provide real-time translations across 53 languages, directly integrated into the dispatcher and field devices.

Voice activation is also emerging in dispatch centers: some Computer-Aided Dispatch vendors are prototyping voice-driven interfaces, allowing a dispatcher to ask an AI agent for the nearest unit or to log a timestamp without needing to click through screens.

The integration of voice technology and AI is clearly progressing, aiming to reduce eyes-down computer time and keep focus on the incident or field. This integration will make emergency response more efficient; think AI that can instantly translate a caller’s language, flag keywords, detect stress in a caller’s voice, or automatically recommend the closest available unit for a new incident.

POLYN’s concept of voice activation embedded in a two-way radio headset, based on the NASP NeuroVoice processing capabilities, was met with enthusiasm from many industry players. Such a headset could feature AI-based voice activity detection (VAD), keyword-triggered operation, and speaker recognition, all while consuming less than 200 µW of power, within the power envelope of standard headset accessories.

The key takeaway from APCO 2025 is that voice is becoming a critical interface for public safety, whether it’s an officer requesting backup or a dispatcher querying an incident history, and the industry is working to make those interactions as seamless as possible.