Leila Beronilla Criminal Justice Communications Mr.

Calvin Simmons Assignment Chapter 8 Week 4 Methods of Responding to Language Differences In a situation where information should be gathered immediately and accurately but an officer who arrives at the scene of the crime discovers that the victims or witnesses speaks a foreign language, the officer must find assistance from a family member or neighbors who are bilingual. The officer must not only gather information about the victims or the witnesses but also the translator. For follow-up investigations, an official translator designated by the courts or the prosecutors will be utilized. However, using a family member or neighbors as translator posed problems. A family member may be bias or will take sides to help a relative, in the same way with a neighbor. It will create cloudy impression or tainted decisions on cases. Because of these issues the department utilize bilingual officers. Most department offer additional compensation to bilingual officer. Those officer respond to situations where their skills are needed. They also encourage roll-call training that emphasizes the cultures of minorities within jurisdiction. This is another by which officers may learn basic phrases of a different language. They also offer to reimburse for officers who want to take conversational language courses that will enable them to interact with minority groups. Other Multicultural Issues When we say, culture, it is normally associated with race and ethnicity. Officers should be aware that most minorities have developed a sharp sense foe detecting manipulation and insincerity. There is no substitute for compassion as the foundation, and insincerity as its expression, in carrying out the equality and fairness in enforcing the law. Officers must make an

effort to understand the individuals situation and not let personal biases affect their interaction with these individuals when they are victimized. The first contact minorities have with the law enforcement officers will determine suspicion as to how they will be treated. With immigrant, refugee, or native populations, it is better to learn a few words of greeting from the culture. Proper pronunciations of last names or name is an excellent move to begin with. Listening is fundamental to human relationship. Among cultures, listening may differ. AsianPacific Islanders like myself will appreciate a direct eye contact when talking or engaging in a conversation. However, the way your eyes look while talking to me may also convey a different meaning. In Western culture, looking elsewhere is seen as disinterest or evasiveness. Misunderstanding can occur if allowances are not made for these differences. Multicultural issues should be fully understood by law enforcement officers.