LOWELL | As the town becomes more diverse, particularly in its growing Spanish-speaking population, police are finding news ways to communicate with those they encounter.

Police Chief John Shelhart said there is a "huge safety factor" for officers who might, for example, stop a vehicle and put themselves at greater risk due to an inability to understand the occupants' language.

That's why the department now has a Speech Guard hand-held translator and the Spanish version of Rosetta Stone language software, all courtesy of the Lowell Moose Lodge, which donated the $1,500 necessary to buy them.

On Monday, Shelhart and Moose member Michael Bafia demonstrated the Speech Guard, which handles seven languages, by reading Miranda rights in Spanish to the Lowell Town Council, something he expects will be of interest to Lowell Town Judge Thomas Vanes for his court sessions.

"I think it's something that will be very useful for us," Shelhart said. He said the technology includes key phrases to be used in specific situations, such as in the case of a lost child.

"It will help serve our Spanish-speaking populace," he said.

As for the Rosetta Stone program, Shelhart said, "The officers need to learn certain words for their own safety, mainly."

The chief said he hopes officers will learn more Spanish on their own through the software program.

"I'm not expecting fluency," he said. "It's so difficult to find someone to translate Spanish for us."