Language Barriers

PICTURED ABOVE

The Richmond Police Department has officers who are fluent in multiple languages. From left: Officers Grace Smallwood can communicate in American Sign Language, Jindriska Skees can speak Czech, Ankit Patel speaks Gujarati, Michael Martinez is Spanish-speaking, and Lani Coleman can converse in German. (Photo by Jim Robertson)

Law enforcement officers interact with people from all sorts of backgrounds, including those who do not speak English.

Having officers within a department who can speak another language is an added value for not only the law enforcement agency, but also for the community. Having several officers who individually speak multiple languages is a bonus.

Such is the case for the Richmond Police Department (RPD) which has five officers who speak additional languages, which are Spanish, German, Gujarati (Indian), Czech and American Sign Language (ASL).

“It gives us the ability to better serve our community because we have all different people here; different ethnicities speak different languages,” said Chief RPD Rodney Richardson. “That helps us. When we’re out investigating a case or talking with a victim, it allows us to communicate with them effectively.”

According to 2020 U.S. Census figures (data.census.gov), 13% of the American population is foreign-born. Recent trends have seen immigrants settling in rural areas where the impact on small communities is high, particularly on public services like law enforcement.

In Madison County, census results show that 1.8% of the population speaks Spanish, while another .8% of the population speak Indo-European languages. Kentucky’s census breakdown indicates that 2.7% of the population speaks Spanish, 1.5% speak Indo-European, .9% speak Asian/Pacific Island languages and .6% of the population speak languages indicated as “other.”

Helpful on the Street

Every day, law enforcement officers conduct traffic stops for various reasons, and if there is a failure to communicate correctly, it could lead to potential problems.

RPD Officer Lani Coleman (Photo by Jim Robertson)

RPD Officer Lani Coleman, who was born in Germany and moved to Kentucky in 2006, said that while she doesn’t come across German-speaking citizens often, she does frequently communicate with Spanish-speaking individuals.

“It’s been beneficial having (Spanish-speaking RPD Officer Michael) Martinez here, especially on DUIs,” she said. “It is helpful because you must give them certain instructions, and I cannot translate that, and they don’t understand. You must know the details during investigations, and I speak broken Spanish. I can ask them for an ID, tell them to stop moving, or ask if they’re in pain. I can pick up certain phrases or words, but not enough to fully comprehend.”

RPD Officer Michael Martinez (Photo by Jim Robertson)

Martinez said his ability to speak and understand Spanish has helped bridge the gap between the Hispanic community and the police department.

“Whether we’re the ones arriving first on the scene or another officer is asking for assistance, we can make sure the reporting party is understood, especially if they speak a different language,” he said. “It’s important for the public to be understood.”

Having that ability to bridge the language barrier could help departments avoid lawsuits.

For example, the City of Los Angeles paid $13 million to settle lawsuits for uses of force in the 2007 May Day/MacArthur Park incident. The root of that case was that the rally’s predominantly Spanish-speaking participants were given commands to disperse in English by law enforcement officers.

Martinez said he uses his Spanish-speaking skills weekly.

“Last night, an officer conducted a traffic stop and requested me out on the scene to assist with translating,” Martinez said. “That included explaining the stop, citation and the court procedures. That is important for the person to understand, especially if they’ve been assigned a court date. Without the ability to understand, the person could look at the citation and have no idea what it means. So, it helps to have an officer who can explain it to them in person.”

Coleman added that having the ability to call out officers who speak other languages is invaluable.

“Trying to interpret over the phone (or on an app) is often difficult,” she said. “I can show them repeatedly, but if it is not getting across, it’s not doing anyone any good.”

At Ease

While there are interpretation apps law enforcement officers can use, there is nothing like the personal touch, said Gujarati-speaking officer Ankit Patel.

RPD Officer Ankit Patel (Photo by Jim Robertson)

“It’s almost universal that you see a sigh of relief from the reporting party,” Patel said. “They may be stressed while speaking to the other officer, but it is relieving when you arrive on the scene and they can speak freely in a different language.”

It is not uncommon for Patel and Martinez to be called out to assist other officers for interpretation purposes. Having that resource is a win-win for the department and the citizens, Patel said.

“The officer will come and tell me what they said, and I will let them know what the citizen said or what they’re trying to convey,” he said. “It also helps the officer who doesn’t speak the language complete an accurate report.”

Sign Communication

Aside from foreign language-speaking officers, RPD also boasts an officer whose skills help the department connect with the deaf and hard of hearing community. Madison County is home to 13,267 deaf and hard-of-hearing residents, according to the Kentucky Commission of Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing (www.kcdhh.ky.gov).

RPD Officer Grace Smallwood (Photo by Jim Robertson)

Newly hired Officer Grace Smallwood, who signs, is another asset to RPD and has already proven her use of sign language during her RPD internship.

“There are hard of hearing individuals who come to different events, and as an intern at RPD, I interacted with them,” she said.

Currently, RPD uses a professor from Eastern Kentucky University to interpret over FaceTime. If the professor isn’t available, officers rely on the written word,” Patel said.

“When I first started, we wrote on notebook paper and translated that way with individuals,” he said. “It will help when (Smallwood) gets out of the academy and can come out on calls. Right now, we rely on an EKU professor who helps us on FaceTime. But technology is technology. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn’t. It will be a huge benefit to the community and us because they will be able to interact with her in person, versus a computer screen.”

Building Rapport

Aside from doing police work, having officers proficient in multiple languages aids in establishing positive community relationships, said Czech-speaking Officer Jindriska Skees.

RPD Officer Jindriska Skees (Photo by Jim Robertson)

“It’s a huge barrier breaker,” the Czechoslovakian-born officer said. “With me, I have the accent, and they start asking me questions about the accent and my home country. That morphs into a regular conversation about day-to-day things.”

Coleman agreed.

“I use it frequently to build rapport with people (especially those affiliated with the military who may have been stationed in Germany),” she said. “That gives a whole different backstory to me and helps me connect with people, even though I don’t have military experience. They tell me a little bit of their experiences while stationed or deployed to Germany.”

Martinez said having that language connection enables RPD to be more diversified.

“It’s good to see someone in a position like ours (particularly when dealing with children),” he said. “It’s almost like a role model and someone they can relate to.”