AgdaPkt 2013-06-10 Interview Closed and Joint

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� a I \ � y • 9 n ' ° 6.1. C. - Page 12 The Grand Jury gathered statistical information froxn the 2000 and 2010 U.S. Censuses, from various websites dedicated to employment opportunities in law enforcement, and from the websites maintained by the various law enforcement departments in the County. DISCUSSION The Grand Jury's investigation revealed widespread awareness among the County's Iaw enforcement agencies regarding the need for more rnultilingual law enforcement and emergency personnel, particularly those fluent in Spanish. While several communities have as many as 22% of their officers fluent in a second language, two cities (Belmont and I�illsborough) reported no multilingual officers. The departments in these communities must depend on neighboring agencies or non-police employees for their translatian needs. Fifteen communities of the 20 surveyed stated their agencies could benefit from additional multilingual officers. (Appendix C) Atherton, Brisbane, Burlingame, Foster City, and Hillsborough stated no additional multilingua� officers are currently needed. The primary concern among the policing agencies is haw difficult basic communication is with - non-English speakers during an initial contact, which is often during an emergency. When non- English speaking residents are involved, the departments reported that delays were common in obtaining information critical to the reso�ution of an incident or the investigation of a crime. 911 Calis As part of the Emergency Telephone Llsers Surcharge Law," the State of California has mandated that language translation services be available to limited or non-English speakers. A general tax on telephone usage funds the cos� for t�is service. Under the County Manager's direction the County's 911 center processes emergency calls for the Sheriff's Office, which services the cities of Half Moon Bay, Millbrae, Portola Valley, San Carlos, and Woodside, together with the unincorporated areas of the County. 911 also processes calls for all the fire departments in the County and ambulance dispatch, transit police (BART), Caltrain, and occasional direct calls from the public.'$ As this is generally the first interface the public has with potential assistance, the Grand Jury reviewed the Public Safety Communications departmental policies and pr.ocedures when encountering a non-English speaking caller. This review revealed that when necessary, 911 operators can provide translation services for limited or non-English speakers through a service called "Language Line." Language Line Language Line is a telephonic service operated by AT&T that enables users to speak through a translator in 98.6% of the world's 6,8091anguages, and includes sign language, when a video `' http:;%quickfacts.census �ov html (1/30/2013). 16 See Appendix C. 17 Califomia State Board of Equalization �vww.boe.ca.�ov %�df%pub�9a tadf(1/28/2013). ' Cities not serviced by the Sheriff's Office have their own 911 operations that, for whatever reason, seldom receive direct calls from the public. 4