SOP 302 Limited English Proficiency Flashcards
All Tampa Police Department personnel shall provide ___________ to Limited English Proficiency (LEP) persons encountered or whenever an LEP person requests language services assistance.
Free language services assistance
_______ are given liberal authority to approve the use of interpretation services to facilitate communications in the field.
Supervisors
The ________ will be the central conduit for connecting personnel in the field to an appropriate interpreter.
Communications center
Language identification cards that can be used to help an individual obtain interpretive services.
I-Speak Cards
The department’s Hispanic Liaison responsible for coordinating and implementing all aspects of the department’s Language Access Plan.
Language Access Plan Coordinator (LAPC)
If an interpreter in the communications center is not readily available to assist, the call-taker will:
Immediately connect with the 911 Language Line service
For calls determined not be an emergency, the call-taker will locate an
interpreter in the communications center (when present) to further process
the call or if none are on duty:
Dispatch an officer to the scene to further
assist the LEP caller.
When an interpreter is needed,the dispatcher will review the list of interpreters available to respond to a call. An officer will be dispatched, even if __________.
- The officer must be released or reassigned from a lower priority call.
If there are no interpreters available within the district of the LEP call, the dispatcher will:
Send a CAD message request to other district dispatchers. An officer from another assigned area will be dispatched after notifying the officer’s supervisor of the need for an interpreter.
If there are no interpreters on duty, the officer must:
- Immediately contact his/her supervisor for approval to use a contracted interpreter or sign
language service. - Upon approval, the officer will contact the
communications center supervisor for assistance.
The contracted in-person interpreter should be on location within ___ hours from the time of notification.
Two
When an in-person interpreter is needed and arrives to the location, the officer will:
- Examine the interpreter’s employee identification.
- Record the interpreter’s
name, company affiliation, arrival, and departure times on the
investigative report.
All services will adhere to established confidentiality clauses. Under no circumstances will an interpreter independently question an LEP individual.The officer must:
Develop and ask any questions through the interpreter.
The ________ role is to serve as a neutral third party with no perspective.
Interpreter’s
If the officer/investigator believes that there is any conflict of interest or bias by the interpreter, the officer/investigator shall _________.
- Consult with their immediate supervisor. The supervisor will decide if another interpreter is warranted.
If another interpreter is requested, the supervisor will:
Submit a memorandum to the department’s LAPC and make note on the daily incident log.
Whenever interpreter services either are used by department personnel or contracted services, the requesting officer must log it in the call via MDT as a _____________.
Special Service request
During the course of handling a call for service or investigation involving an LEP person, the officer/investigator may:
Use his/her own bilingual skills, available translation website - www.translate.google.com – on the MDT, the online Hispanic Magazine, an interpreter, or the contracted interpreter service. An additional resource to assist an LEP person is the Tampa Police Hispanic Magazine located on the department’s website.
Should an investigator need a note, letter, or other document translated for an investigation:
A memo will be forwarded to the Special Support Division commanding officer, via the investigator’s chain of command, with a copy of the original note, letter, or other document in need of translation.
Upon request, the _________ will contact the applicable contracted interpreter or sign language services with the nature and location of the request and notify the officer with the estimated time of arrival.
Communications supervisor
Language interpretation services rendered by language line services, communications personnel, officers in the field, and contracted in-person interpreters will be extracted and compiled in a report by an assigned
_________, which will be submitted monthly to the ________.
- Communications supervisor
2. Special Support Division Commander
Personnel are expected to follow the general procedures outlined in this directive; however, exigent circumstances may require some deviation. In such situations, personnel:
Are to use the most reliable, temporary
interpreter available
In situations other than exigent circumstances, personnel should only use
family, friends, or bystanders for interpreting informal, nonconfrontational context, and only to obtain basic information at the request
of the ________.
LEP individual
Using family, friends, or bystanders to interpret could result in:
The breach of confidentiality, a conflict of interest, or an inadequate interpretation.
Personnel receiving a telephone complaint from an LEP individual and are
unable to determine the nature of the call or language of the person will:
- Immediately determine if an interpreter is readily available in their assigned work area.
- If an interpreter is not present, transfer the call to the communications center.
- Remain on the line to provide as much
information as possible to the answering communications technician. The caller should not be placed on hold.
An interpreter shall be used for any interrogation or taking of a formal statement where:
The suspect or witness’ legal rights could be adversely impacted.
In the case of a language into which forms and Miranda Warnings have not been translated or in the case of illiteracy, forms will be:
Read to the suspect or witness in his or her primary language using an interpreter.
Any LEP individual who wishes to file a complaint with the Tampa Police Department regarding language access or the discharge of law enforcement duties shall be provided with:
The translated Internal Affairs Bureau (IAB) complaint forms.
Note: IAB will provide written notice of the disposition of any LEP complaint in the complainant’s primary language.
The department shall maintain translated written forms and documents for the benefit of LEP individuals. The _____ and _____ will classify the forms as vital or non-vital. Vital documents will then be translated into languages determined by the LAPC and SSD commander via _____ and _____. The _______ will be responsible for storage and distribution of these forms, which are offered for use by LEP individuals.
- LAPC
- Special Support Division Commander
- Demographic data
- Feedback from community based organizations
- Evidence Control Section
In the case of illiteracy or languages into which materials have not been
translated, such forms and documents will be translated for an LEP individual in their primary language using an ______.
Interpreter
The central conduit for document translation.
All personnel shall have access to this by:
- SSD
- Identifying a document or form in need of translation and forwarding a memo through their commanding officer to the commander of the SSD and LAPC.
Note: The LAPC will confirm the need for translation then process the request through the appropriate vendor.
______ of each division with public access will ensure the posting of signage is maintained and visible to the public.
Commanders
Mandatory training regarding LEP policies will be conducted for new recruits, at _____, and at roll calls for officers at least every
____ years.
- In-service training
2. Two
______ of all new documents to access whether they should be vital documents and translated.
Annual review
