{"id":64166,"date":"2021-08-01T08:00:03","date_gmt":"2021-08-01T12:00:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/?p=64166"},"modified":"2025-02-12T10:26:01","modified_gmt":"2025-02-12T15:26:01","slug":"the-language-of-policing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/the-language-of-policing\/","title":{"rendered":"The Language of Policing"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>With more than 100 languages and dialects spoken throughout the United States, police officers face the unprecedented challenge of investigating crimes, protecting the public, and building bridges into communities with limited\u00a0English proficiency (LEP).\u00a0The native languages of LEP communities are not just Spanish or French, for instance\u2014they may be Mixtec, K\u2019iche\u2019, Mam, Hmong, Swahili, Taishanese, Russian, Portuguese, Hindi, Urdu, Vietnamese, or Ukrainian, to name a few. It\u2019s not just spoken language, either\u2014officers may encounter American Sign Language, Mexican Sign Language, Spanish Sign Language, Chinese Sign Language, or home signing. Each shift, officers are faced with the possibility of encountering a victim or arriving on a scene where essential information can be obtained only if the officer is able to communicate in a language other than English.<\/p>\n<p>Whether responding to a domestic violence call, serving a warrant, making a traffic stop; or investigating a crime, the ability to identify the perpetrator, interview the victim and witnesses, or identify the presence of a firearm are essential in protecting the public and the responding officers. Language access is as essential to a police officer as a bulletproof vest or radio.<\/p>\n<p>How each agency approaches creating the tools and resources for language access will be dependent on the resources and conditions in the jurisdictions in which they operate and the communities they serve. Although the circumstances in which a police department must create and apply protocols for the provision of language access varies from one agency to the next, lessons from the agencies that have implemented language access plans, such as the Boise and San Francisco Police Departments, can guide these efforts.<\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"color: #da8a67;\">Case Study:\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"color: #9a1b22;\">Boise Police Department, Idaho<\/span><\/h4>\n<table class=\" alignleft\" style=\"width: 50%; border-collapse: collapse; background-color: #f5f6f8; border-style: none;\" cellpadding=\"width: 45%;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<table style=\"background-color: #102c4e; border-style: none;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 100%;\">\n<h4><span style=\"color: #da8a67;\"><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-thumbnail wp-image-64175\" src=\"https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/Boise-City-PD-Patch-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" \/><\/strong><\/span><span style=\"color: #da8a67;\"><strong>RECOMMENDATIONS<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\">Agencies looking to emulate BPD\u2019s approach and update their policies or programs for working with LEP community members may consider the following tips:<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-left: .5in; text-indent: -.2in;\"><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\">\u25a0 Take advantage of those stakeholders who are already within\u00a0the community, such as the schools, libraries, court systems, hospitals, mental health\u00a0counselors, and community-based organizations.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-left: .5in; text-indent: -.2in;\"><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\">\u25a0 Educate agency leaders and\u00a0officers on the language access\u00a0requirements of Title VI of the\u00a0Civil Rights Act of 1964, and review past Department of Justice civil rights investigations for reported violations.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-left: .5in; text-indent: -.2in;\"><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\">\u25a0 Develop a language access plan for the agency, so officers will know how to best serve the LEP community.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>In the mid-2000s, the city of Boise experienced an influx of refugees resettling in the area. With the increase of new residents, particularly from other countries, relocating to the city, some challenges began to emerge, specifically involving language access. Within just a few years, more than 100 different languages were being spoken in the Boise schools, homes, and businesses. A plan was needed to address the language barriers that existed between police officers and the refugee communities.<\/p>\n<p>In 2007, the Boise Police Department (BPD) created the refugee liaison officer position and housed it in the Community Outreach Division. The role of this officer was to reach out and interact with the refugee communities, assisting with education and community members\u2019 understanding of U.S., Idaho, and Boise laws. The refugee liaison was also tasked with creating the BPD Interpreter Program.<\/p>\n<p>Rather than reinvent the wheel, the refugee liaison reached out to local organizations, agencies, and businesses who were working with refugees to glean information on how they were able to overcome the language barriers they were experiencing. The community contacts included schools, hospitals, courts, counselors, libraries, and resettlement agencies. The refugee liaison also researched how other law enforcement agencies were engaging their LEP communities. The refugee liaison learned about several agencies under investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice for violations of the Civil Rights Act of 1964\u2014reinforcing the need to quickly move forward on creating an easy and functional interpreter program as a resource for officers.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-64194 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/GettyImages-1130741759-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/GettyImages-1130741759-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/GettyImages-1130741759-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/GettyImages-1130741759-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/GettyImages-1130741759-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/GettyImages-1130741759-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/GettyImages-1130741759-272x182.jpg 272w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>After extensive planning and discussion, a plan that worked best for BPD was implemented. The plan involved deploying a combination of bilingual officers, local interpreters, and a telephonic interpreter service. This program had several benefits for the community. The plan allowed bilingual officers to use their skills within the community and allowed the interpreters to give back to their ethnic\/linguistic community, as well as the refugees from their home countries; it also gave officers the ability to use telephonic interpreters for anonymity purposes and, at times, out of necessity, due to the limited access to qualified interpreters with certain languages. Implementation of this program began to build bridges within the community, establishing strong ties between the BPD and the local interpreters, as well as the LEP individuals.<\/p>\n<p>In the early stages of the program, BPD encountered difficulty in convincing other organizations to share their resources. The perception was the increased use of the interpreters by BPD would make them less available to fill other translation needs. Conversely, BPD discovered the interpreters were more readily available since they were able to leave their other jobs and work full-time in the interpretation\/translation field.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_64191\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-64191\" style=\"width: 216px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-64191 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/Rosell2-216x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"216\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/Rosell2-216x300.jpg 216w, https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/Rosell2-736x1024.jpg 736w, https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/Rosell2-768x1069.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/Rosell2.jpg 888w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 216px) 100vw, 216px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-64191\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo courtesy of <em>Elder Abuse Guide for Law Enforcement.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>All the interpreters contracted by BPD go through an Interpreting for Law Enforcement training program. This education program teaches them what to expect when working with officers in the community. In addition, there are many police-related terms and concepts that are covered with the interpreters for fuller understanding, which is done through the use of interactive training with the interpreters and officers. The officers find that this type of environment allows the interpreters an opportunity to share information about their background, culture, and beliefs, so that both groups continue to learn from one another. Once the interpreters are trained, they are added to the list housed at the police department and can be accessed as needed in the field. This list continues to grow and is shared with the surrounding agencies in the law enforcement community.<\/p>\n<p>BPD determined it was productive and helpful to train officers on best practices when working with interpreters. New recruits receive refugee awareness training that culminates with situational practical scenarios. Having the refugee liaison as a resource has helped the officers in the field with follow-up and investigations, as well as with their day-to-day duties. It has also helped identify many crimes that were going unreported, whether due to fear, misconceptions, or language barriers. The program has been successful and has also allowed BPD to open the lines of communication with other resources within the community. As a result, the partners are all working together to provide the highest level of service to all members of the community.<\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #da8a67;\">Case Study:<\/span>\u00a0<span style=\"color: #9a1b22;\">San Francisco Police Department, California<\/span><\/h3>\n<table class=\" alignleft\" style=\"width: 50%; border-collapse: collapse; background-color: #f5f6f8; border-style: none;\" cellpadding=\"width: 45%;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<table style=\"background-color: #102c4e; border-style: none;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 100%;\">\n<h4><span style=\"color: #da8a67;\"><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-64176 size-thumbnail\" src=\"https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/SanFran-PD-Patch-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" \/>RECOMMENDATIONS<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\">Agencies considering SFPD\u2019s model of a language access program and liaison may find the following tips useful:<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-left: .5in; text-indent: -.2in;\"><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\">\u25a0 Provide courses on language access for law enforcement, addressing state, city, and federal mandates (including to dispatchers, nonsworn members, and interested city agencies).<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-left: .5in; text-indent: -.2in;\"><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\">\u25a0 Implement a cultural immersion program for all academy recruits.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-left: .5in; text-indent: -.2in;\"><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\">\u25a0 Partner with oversight and language access departments.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-left: .5in; text-indent: -.2in;\"><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\">\u25a0 <span style=\"color: #ffffff;\">Dedicate a full-time, sworn member to serve as language access liaison to address training, policy, and procedures and to partner with advocacy groups to ensure transparency and accountability for the department.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-left: .5in; text-indent: -.2in;\"><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\">\u25a0 Implement language certification to ensure department-wide access to qualified interpreters to address LEP needs.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-left: .5in; text-indent: -.2in;\"><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\">\u25a0 Establish in-house training focusing on the modalities and tools for effective investigations while serving as an interpreter.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-left: .5in; text-indent: -.2in;\"><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\">\u25a0 Include professional interpreters, including sign language\u00a0interpreters, at community meetings and town halls.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-left: .5in; text-indent: -.2in;\"><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\">\u25a0 Set up mobile application and web cams for video and audio interpretations at all stations.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-left: .5in; text-indent: -.2in;\"><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\">\u25a0 Develop comprehensive department policies and procedures for members and make them available to the public.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-left: .5in; text-indent: -.2in;\"><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\">\u25a0 Engage professional translators for investigations concerning written communications (e.g., texts messages, emails, social media).<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-left: .5in; text-indent: -.2in;\"><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\">\u25a0 Translate signage, department\u00a0forms and other essential\u00a0information intended for the public. (EPOs,\u00a0<em>Miranda<\/em>\u00a0cards,\u00a0Marsy\u2019s cards, Victims of Violent Crimes, and more).<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>The San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) serves a jurisdiction that is only 49 square miles. In it, though, are cultures from around the world. San Francisco is not only a business and tech hub, but a mecca for immigrants from all over the world. There are more than 100 languages spoken in the jurisdiction and a similar number of cultures to match. As a large modern agency, SFPD is well-aware of the challenges its officers face, as do many other city or county departments and agencies in San Francisco. This was not lost on the city administrators, which adopted a Language Access ordinance in order to provide access to city services to all. This Language Access Ordinance is the strongest, self-imposed local law in the United States.<\/p>\n<p>SFPD\u2019s patrol bureau faces the brunt of these challenges. Many immigrants are afraid of the police due to their home country experiences. Officer Paramjit Kaur was sought out by the agency to bridge that gap\u2014to, in essence, have an officer who can say, \u201cHey I look like you, perhaps, and I was an immigrant too.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Officer Kaur wasn\u2019t randomly chosen for the role of language access liaison. Hailing from a traditional Indian family, including extended family thousands of miles away, she speaks five South Asian and Middle Eastern languages. Her extended family is multicultural. She holds a master\u2019s degree in leadership, and she was a beat cop for many years, having joined the law enforcement family at the age of 22. Officer Kaur knew she carried a great responsibility, like all of her brother and sister officers. However, she also carried the standard for all women behind her, especially women of color who come from a tradition of arranged marriages, cultural restrictions, and other constraints.<\/p>\n<p>When Officer Kaur was tasked to elevate and embolden the SFPD\u2019s Language Access program, she was immediately enthusiastic. Thus, began a long journey of learning and networking with various outside agencies and community groups, involving hundreds of hours of phone calls; meetings with stakeholders, ranging from SFPD\u2019s command staff to other agencies\u2019 representatives; and a lot of input from officers on patrol. A new role of this magnitude requires significant preparation and learning, in addition to earning the trust needed to work in an executive capacity.<\/p>\n<p>With the input, advice, and unwavering patience of other government colleagues, stakeholders, and the SFPD police family, a program was developed in which the officers adopted a smartphone application that was downloaded to all agency cellphones. This app provides users access to a vast array of language services at their fingertips, with the option of audio or video (face-to-face) interpretations. Pertinent law enforcement\u2013related questions can be asked along with questions to help, direct, and advise those who seek SFPD services, of which there are many.<\/p>\n<p>Police officers, especially when uniformed, continue to face many challenges, which is well known among the profession. These challenges will only be enhanced by the very nature of the police profession. Truly, with the world audience\u2019s access to the internet and its vast array of communication, the whole world is literally watching.<\/p>\n<table class=\"alignright\" style=\"width: 40%; border-collapse: collapse; border-style: none; background-color: #da8a67;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 100%;\">If you are interested in trainings on language access planning, working with interpreters during an investigation, or interpretation skills building to improve the quality of interpreters you are working with, please contact the Asian Pacific Institute on Gender-Based Violence at <a href=\"mailto:chan@api-gbv.org\">chan@api-gbv.org<\/a>.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>SFPD, like many agencies, has been adapting to these changes through continuous training, supervision, accountability, community engagement, transparency, and open communication with the many communities it serves. Perhaps the agency\u2019s most important tool is the awareness and identification of those members in its complement who are enthusiastically and effectively able to smooth the often rocky roads of inclusive modern policing, such as Officer Kaur and others willing to take up the role of connecting to communities, regardless of race, citizenship status, or language.<\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #9a1b22;\"><strong>Title VI Resources and Information<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<aside class=\"pullout alignleft\"><strong>IACP Resources<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul style=\"list-style-type: square;\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theiacp.org\/resources\/policy-center-resource\/deaf-and-hard-of-hearing\">Deaf and Hearing Impaired Model Policy<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theiacp.org\/\">theIACP.org<\/a><\/p>\n<ul style=\"list-style-type: square;\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/learn.theiacp.org\/products\/language-access-and-immigration-relief-tools-in-labor-trafficking-investigations-in-the-us\">Language Access and Immigration Relief Tools in Labor Trafficking Investigations in the U.S.<\/a> (webinar)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/learn.theiacp.org\/\">learn.theIACP.org<\/a><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/reaching-english-as-a-second-language\/\">Reaching English-as-a-Second-Language Communities<\/a>\u201d (article)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><\/aside>\n<p>Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 requires that any U.S. law enforcement department receiving federal financial assistance must provide meaningful language access to individuals with limited English proficiency. Failure to provide meaningful language access could result in a federal investigation and the termination of all federal financial assistance. The Department of Justice has developed guidance on Title VI Compliance for law enforcement and compiled resources on language access planning. You can access this <u><a href=\"http:\/\/www.justice.gov\/crt\/fcs\/Law_Enforcement_Planning_Tool\">information<\/a><\/u> and the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.lep.gov\/state-local-government\">resources<\/a>.<\/p>\n<table style=\"background-color: #102c4e;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"638\">\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-64196\" src=\"https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/Han.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"175\" height=\"226\" \/><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><big><strong>Cannon Han<\/strong> is a senior program manager with the Asian Pacific Institute. He has over 10 years of experience providing technical assistance and training to programs on Title VI compliance and advocacy, language access, interpretation, and translation. His prior roles have included Title VI administrator, senior court services analyst, and attorney.<\/big><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"638\">\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-64197\" src=\"https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/Sonnenberg-209x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"175\" height=\"251\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/Sonnenberg-209x300.jpg 209w, https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/Sonnenberg.jpg 626w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 175px) 100vw, 175px\" \/><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><big>Detective <strong>Shelli Sonnenberg<\/strong> began her law enforcement career with the Boise, Idaho, Police Department in 1999. As the refugee liaison, she worked closely with the refugee resettlement agencies and community outreach groups in the Boise area, providing educational and safety information, and she created the agency\u2019s interpreter\/translator program.<\/big><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"638\">\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-64198\" src=\"https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/Kaur-150x150.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"175\" height=\"233\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/Kaur-225x300.jpeg 225w, https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/Kaur.jpeg 240w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 175px) 100vw, 175px\" \/><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><big>Officer <strong>Paramjit Kaur<\/strong>, San Francisco, California, Police Department\u2019s (SFPD) Language Access Liaison, is well versed in more than six languages. She has worked with multiple agencies (private and public) to enhance policies as well as trainings for SFPD, specifically by developing the first POST-certified language access course for law enforcement members.<\/big><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>Please cite as<\/p>\n<p>Cannon Han, Shelli Sonnenberg, and Paramjit Kaur, \u201cThe Language of Policing: Developing Resources for Interactions with Non-English Speakers,\u201d <em>Police Chief<\/em> 88, no.8 (August 2021): 42\u201347.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>With more than 100 languages and dialects spoken throughout the United States, police officers face the unprecedented challenge of investigating crimes, protecting the public, and building bridges into communities with limited\u00a0English proficiency (LEP).\u00a0The native languages of LEP communities are not just Spanish or French, for instance\u2014they may be Mixtec, K\u2019iche\u2019, Mam, Hmong, Swahili, Taishanese, Russian, Portuguese, Hindi, Urdu, Vietnamese, or Ukrainian, to name a few. It\u2019s not just spoken language, either\u2014officers may encounter American Sign Language, Mexican Sign Language, Spanish Sign Language, Chinese Sign Language, or home signing. Each shift, officers are faced with the possibility of encountering a victim or arriving on a scene where essential information can be obtained only if the officer is able to communicate in a language other than English.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4042,"featured_media":64170,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[127],"tags":[1952,1950,1951,1953],"class_list":["post-64166","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community-police-engagement","tag-language-access","tag-limited-english-proficiency","tag-sign-language","tag-title-vi-of-the-civil-rights-act-of-1964"],"acf":{"subtitle":"Developing Resources for Interactions with Non-English Speakers","post_author":"Cannon Han, Senior Program Manager, Asian Pacific Institute on Gender-Based Violence; Shelli Sonnenberg, Detective, Boise Police Department, Idaho; and Paramjit Kaur, Officer, Language Access Liaison, San Francisco Police Department, California","main_category":"Community-Police Engagement","legacy_article_id":"","legacy_issue_id":""},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v24.4 (Yoast SEO v24.6) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>The Language of Policing - Police Chief Magazine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/the-language-of-policing\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Language of Policing\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"With more than 100 languages and dialects spoken throughout the United States, police officers face the unprecedented challenge of investigating crimes, protecting the public, and building bridges into communities with limited\u00a0English proficiency (LEP).\u00a0The native languages of LEP communities are not just Spanish or French, for instance\u2014they may be Mixtec, K\u2019iche\u2019, Mam, Hmong, Swahili, Taishanese, Russian, Portuguese, Hindi, Urdu, Vietnamese, or Ukrainian, to name a few. It\u2019s not just spoken language, either\u2014officers may encounter American Sign Language, Mexican Sign Language, Spanish Sign Language, Chinese Sign Language, or home signing. 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