Philadelphia police interpretation policy in trouble

[Harold F. Schiffman]

>>From the Phila. Enquirer,  Posted on Sun, Oct. 30, 2005

It's a matter of interpretation

By Gaiutra Bahadur
Inquirer Staff Writer

The U.S. Justice Department has found fault with the way that Philadelphia
police handle language barriers, forcing the department to change its ways
or risk losing federal funding.

In a city where one in five residents speaks another language at home, the
department has no directive spelling out what steps officers must take
when they encounter people with limited English.

The city does not tell them they have to provide interpreters - or how.
And it does not direct them to translate important information, such as
Miranda warnings, into key languages.


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