Thread: MO Police Chief: Language Barrier Could Cause Danger

Notice that the Missouri police officers say they must learn Spanish rather than the immigrants learning English, even through the officer admits that many Spanish-speaking residents are here illegally!

Lebanon police chief: language barrier could cause danger
by Kristin Nelson, KY3 News

By Gene Hartley
Story Published: May 5, 2009 at 6:43 AM CDT
Story Updated: May 5, 2009 at 11:05 AM CDT
Video at source

LEBANON, Mo. -- The city police department is having a problem communicating with its growing Hispanic population. Officers say the language barrier could lead to a dangerous situation with suspects and victims.

In those situations, officers sometimes have to wait for an interpreter to meet them. Not only is it costly but it's also time consuming.

Officer Ralph Robinson's limited Spanish sometimes creates confusion and frustration when he's on patrol.

"You run into obstacles -- them not understanding you, trying to communicate with them, with just basic, average things: license, insurance, things like that," said Robinson.

Lebanon's police chief says the city's Hispanic population is growing. Out of the 16,000 people who live in the city, there are 338 Spanish-speaking families, but those are just the ones that police know about. With three major highways Lebanon gets a lot of traffic.

"We do have an influx of illegal Hispanics in the area," said Robinson. "It is a problem. How can we help someone if you don't understand it?"

So the police department is paying for three officers, including Robinson, to learn Spanish to try to eliminate problems and to better serve and protect the city.

"This I think is just another tool we can use to do our job better, safer," said Robinson.

Officers will travel to Kansas to learn basic Spanish during the middle of this month and travel to Iowa for advanced Spanish in early June.

http://www.ky3.com/features/ozarkstoday/44356277.html

Officers will travel to Kansas to learn basic Spanish during the middle of this month and travel to Iowa for advanced Spanish in early June.

Here's a thought - how about Hispanics learn English.

Even when they know how to speak English they ask for a Spanish speaker as they know that some of them will side with them if they are from the same homeland. I have seen it and reported the officer involved on more thanone occassion. Even when they call 911 the first thing they say in English is do you have a Spanish speaker and if you say no then they actually ask why not. If a call warrants using 911 then they shouldn't be wasting time with that nonsense.
It is a danger to officers and victims of crime when you need a translator. This is how it often ends up in Miami Dade County: call comes in and officers are dispatched, I'll use a dispute as an example as you need 2 units for that call, both units arrive and learn at that time a Spanish speaker is needed, a third unit that is a Spanish speaker is sent out while the other 2 officers are there waiting for the third to arrive and only after that third one arrives can one unit clear and go back into service. Other calls and officers are needed to go to other urgent calls immediately and cannot as they are tied up with the Spanish speaking call. This also makes those people with not as urgent calls wait longer and call back wondering why it is taking so long. If you get 2 of the Spanish speaking calls in one area then the entire area is at risk in a real emergency as they then will get officers from another area which causes and increase in repsonse time.

At least I must give the Haitians credit as they either learn English, have a relative or neighbor handy to translate or are smart enough to ask for a Creole speaking officer in the first place which does not tie up an extra officer.

I think the problem is our state and fed officials know most of the hispanic"s coming here can not even read or write, they are Mexico's, central and south Americas poorest.

These countries don't want to support them so they are sending them to us and our government is allowing it, these are the people if made legal will drain every social program we have for our less fortunate.