How’s Your Spanish? Tools For The LEO.

I’m sure that I’m not surprising anyone when I say that our country has a growing population of hispanics members that do not speak english. This has definitely created a communication barrier in law enforcement. In addition to that, our job kinda makes us go down south to conduct patrols (and deal with a miserable heat/humidity combination). A lot of cutters are usually fortunate enough to have a translator onboard to help out, but with the smaller units that may not always be a go-to luxury. There are a lot of recourses online for members to broaden their knowledge base, but most people are just to lazy to look for it. Knowing the basic commands for your job is crucial, not only for understanding and compliance, but for the safety of you and your team.

Luckily for you, 14USC89 is here to help you out. Currently the Multijurisdictional Counterdrug Task Force offers a nifty training tool. They have 2 video scenarios that you watch, and then 2 more that you role play as the LEO to practice giving compliance commands to the subject. Each video begins with a introduction/rehearsal for the basic LE compliance commands. The videos use realistic scenarios to teach basic Spanish compliance commands that officers can use in a variety of situations. This is a valuable resource that you can use as part of your LE training program in an effort to enhance your members skills…and it’s free. You can check it out here.

Another tool available is from the Department of Justice. Much like the MJCTF site, this one allows you to practice a variety of LE commands in spanish and then provides you with a scenario for practice. The advantage to this site is that it covers a wider range of scenarios including:

• Descriptions
• Interrogatives
• Arrest Commands
• Grammar
• Traffic Accident
• Drug Use
• Routine Traffic Stop
• DUI Traffic Stop
• Violent Disturbance

One of the most useful things about this site is the DUI portion. It teaches you some of the basic spanish commands for administering a FST. The site does require you to register, but it is free to use. You can check it out here.

If your a iPhone user (if not, get one!) then there is an app for that. For $2.99 you can purchase the Spanish For Police – Audio Phrasebook. This is a pretty badass app that seems like it would be a very useful tool. Some of the features of the app include:

• Over 160 simple Spanish commands and questions with written and audio translations
• Just use your speaker on your iPhone and let the suspect listen. No need to translate.
• Spanish commands and questions designed and used by street cops, with audio by a native Spanish speaker. The questions are specifically designed to solicit a yes or no, response so you can understand the answer. Commands are simple, and direct.
• Turn the phone sideways and it becomes a cue card.
• Every command and question has an audio translation in Spanish. Just touch to play!
• Night mode at the touch of a button

I dig the fact that the iPhone speaks the commands. Maybe you could just hold the phone up to the loud hailer. You can get the app from the iTunes store here.

Printable English to Spanish LE commands flash cards are available here.

Printable sheet with basic LE commands is available here.

Naturally if you have a spanish speaker at your unit, you should be utilizing him to teach the boarding teams all of the necessary commands for the LE duties. Another good tool would be for the translator to create a sheet of the standard LE commands and give it to the members of the team. If any of you folks have any items or website you want to share with the community, send them my way and i’ll put it up on this site.