Do you think a police officer should be suspended because he didn't understand/speak spanish?

m.a.i.i.

I would sue the dept. in a heart beat. these people if they did not speak English should have been held and checked for status. Now our police are required to speak the language of ANOTHER country and not OURS. This is disgusting.

Low Key

English is the universal language and by far the most prominent language in America. No, the officer shouldn't be suspended.

Jared P

Well that's hard to believe. All police I have heard of have special officer that are bilingual so they can communicate with the people that are too lazy or ignorant to learn English. If he called for assistance, that's doing his job in my book.

zoe o

It would be fair if he was working in a country where Spanish was the national language. Can you imagine this happening in Mexico to a cop who didn't speak English, or French, or Chinese?

Bonnie C

It's not fair and I question if it's true......all I know are a few small numbers and colors in Spanish. We call for translation help all the time.

Muerto Mujados

Mass DEPORTATION NOW would solve all these problems.

legal lover :)

NO! English is the only language he should have to speak and understand.

William O

Well what if it was a cop in San Francisco? He would have to speak English, Spanish(mission district), Mandarin(Mandarin china town), Cantonese(Cantonese China town), Taiwanese(Taiwanese China town) and probably more languages as SF is a tourist town! How many languages can a person learn?
Totally unfair!

iyamacog

Definitely unfair. In fact totally ridiculous. If one comes here to live, then they need to adjust by learning the language. The world does not adjust for the foreigner. The foreigner is the one who needs to make the adjustment. It's their choice to relocate.

asmul8ed

Its fair if the country/region's spoken language is spanish. However, I am assuming this was somewhere within the USA. In which case, no, it isn't fair or right. If a call was made to dispatch an officer, it was probably known by the dispatcher that a spanish speaking officer was a necessity. An officer who doesn't speak or understand spanish should not be dispatched to a scene where knowledge of the language is a known requirement. And if it wasn't known that spanish speaking was required, it still shouldn't be held against the officer that he/she had to call for a spanish speaking officer to take care of the situation. In my city it isn't required (however it is very helpful) that an officer know spanish.

Texan Boy

What's the source of your facts? I've never heard of such a thing. You either don't have all the details or this cop committed some sort of infraction. The Official Language in the United States is English and it makes absolute no sense someone should be penalized for not speaking a foreign language, unless spanish was a requirement for a specific position which in most cases are Bilingual Police Officers, who would never be hired in the first place if he didn't speak Spanish. Does it make sense??

cantcu

I would like to see a cite please.

In most [places like border states, dual language is often a requirement.

I could only find this "A Syracuse police officer is suspended with pay because he was charged with disorderly conduct after police were dispatched to his house on a domestic-violence call.

Officer Sheldon D. Lloyd, 37, was released from custody by City Judge Kate Rosenthal at his arraignment Dec. 8 on the violation. Rosenthal ordered Lloyd to refrain from harassing his girlfriend. He is due back in court Feb. 10.

Lloyd is suspended with pay from work pending a disciplinary proceeding, said Sheri Owens, the city's public affairs coordinator.

Police alleged in court papers that they were dispatched at 7:30 a.m. Dec. 8 to Lloyd's home in Syracuse to ...

Loretta C

it's wrong, we need to make people understand we are to speak english. 14th amendment

ohiostatejeff

The only way I could see that being somewhat the case would be if the officer stated that he could fluently speak Spanish when he was applying for the job.

However, English is the language that over 99% of the people in the US speak. So this should not be an issue, I would advise this officer to contact an attorney immediately.

Sidwell

I say yes and get that man some spanish lessons.

spanish is a major language in California, Texas, New Mexico and Arizona. Spanish should be a requirement of being a police officer and indeed, ANY community worker in those states.

Unless the officer claimed to speak spanish and then could not manage in the situation he was attending where spanish was the the only language spoken - then he should be suspended and fired because he lied.

Sweetharttt

No, not at all. That is ridiculous. If it was not part of his hiring or a subsequent requirement of the job, his suspension should not stand. I would contact the police union and see if anything can be done about it.

Chesty Puller Lives

1.) No since I cannot find any mention of a requirement for Spanish Proficiency.
(shouldn't this be under the LAW ENFORCEMENT category?).

2.) So we are going to suspend every police officer that doesn't speak a myriad of other languages.
I speak Hangul (Korean), Queen's English (in my dad's house), German and 2 dialects of Arabic. I only learned them LIVING in nations where those languages were spoken. I can't expect any officer responding to be conversant in every language spoken on EARTH.

BTW: Would this NOT be the LA County Sheriff's Office???

SELECTION REQUIREMENTS: TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE
NOTE: In 2000, the Compton Police Department was disbanded amidst controversy and charges of corruption. Regardless of the situation, an alternative form of law enforcement was sought. Compton's policing needs are currently served by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

* AGE: At the time of filing, applicants must be at least 19 Â½ years of age and be at least 20 years of age at time of appointment.
* CITIZENSHIP: At the time of filing, applicants must be a citizen of the United States or a permanent resident alien who is eligible for and has applied for citizenship. Permanent resident alien will be required to submit documentation to prove that the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has approved his/her application for citizenship, prior to taking the written test.
For more information regarding citizenship requirements, please contact the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) of the Federal Government.
* EDUCATION: Government Code Section 1031 (E): Requires applicants to be a High School Graduate from a U.S. High School or an accredited nonpublic High School, or pass the General Education Development Test (GED) indicating High School Graduation level, or pass the California High School Proficiency Examination, or have attained a two-year or four-year degree from an accredited college or university.
* POST TRAINED APPLICANTS MUST HAVE: Completed the regular basic course standard format academy as approved by the California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST). Completed the POST basic course requirements within 30 months of application.
* LICENSE: All applicants (including out-of-state applicants) must possess a valid California Class â€œCâ€ driverâ€™s license or higher by the date of hire.
* PHYSICAL CLASS: â€œ4" - Arduous: Involves frequent heavy lifting over 25 pounds, often combined with bending, twisting, or working on irregular surfaces; and occasionally requires extraordinary physical activity.
* NO Dishonorable Discharge from any Branch of the Military.

thinkingtime

Depends if he claimed to be able to speak Spanish before.

GreasyTony

Are you making this up?.....do you have any sources for us?

And what does this have to do with immigration?

Spanish does not = illegal immigrant.

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