The U.S. DOJ
even provides a model policy regarding how law enforcement agencies can
better communicate with the deaf and hearing impaired. The model policy
can by copied or used as a guide when writing policies at the local
police agency level. Are these recommendations being followed by local
police agencies?
Let's take a
look at what has been done at one local law enforcement agency. The
City of Lodi, in California, is an agrarian based community in San
Joaquin County in the Central Valley of California. It has a population
of about 65,000 people and its own municipal police department. The
police department has 78 authorized sworn positions and a little over
100 employees. The police department also runs its own dispatch
center. The dispatch center is capable of receiving "9-1-1" calls from
teletypewriters (TTY systems), but it is up to the individual dispatcher
to recognize the tone, described as a "tweedle," by these machines and
to activate their own teletypewriter system in order to receive and
respond to the person in need of assistance. (from phone interview with
LPD Dispatcher) The Lodi PD dispatch center does not currently
maintain a contact list of available American Sign Language or Signed
English interpreters. However, one currently employed sworn officer is
capable of translating. That officer is due to retire from the
department in a few months. The Lodi Police Department Policy and
Procedure Manual does not have policy specifically detailing how to deal
with those that are hearing impaired. The current Memorandum of
Understanding between the City of Lodi and the Police Officers
Association of Lodi recognizes proficiency in American Sign Language as
one of three languages for which an officer will receive a monetary
incentive; currently set at $200.00 dollars per month.
What do members
of the deaf community say about their interactions with members of the
law enforcement community? In a study sponsored by the U.S. Department
of Justice, fifty-one members of the Deaf community were interviewed
following their review of videos of sexual assault scenarios. The
results showed some common themes. "Although police were viewed as a
source of help, many who had contacted police were frustrated by their
experience." (Obinna, Abstract) The study also showed that "particular
concern among victim service providers was a lack of understanding and
training in the law enforcement community regarding how to investigate
and provide services to deaf victims of sexual assaults." (Obinna,
Abstract) In another article published in the Iowa News, members
of the Deaf community expressed concern that law enforcement officers,
for the most part, lack an understanding of how best to communicate with
members of the Deaf community. In the article a resident of Omaha,
Nebraska, Jerry Siders, described an incident where he was pulled over
by a law enforcement officer due to expired vehicle registration.
Siders said, "I decided to get out of the car, and the policeman put his
gun right up to my face." (Dalton, 1) "I pointed to my ears and he knew
I was not a dangerous person." (Dalton, 1) For Siders that contact with
a law enforcement officer started out as a scary experience, but was
quickly deescalated as the officer realized that Siders had a hearing
disability. Siders also described a second incident where he was
involved in a traffic collision and the officer initially listened to
the other driver, who was not hearing impaired, and almost completely
ignored Siders. Siders was frustrated about that encounter because the
officer seemed to be ignoring him. "It took time to make him
understand," Siders said. (Dalton, 1) Siders did not express any hard
feelings overall. He said, "I have no negative feelings about police
officers. I know they have their jobs to do and policemen don't want to
shoot." (Dalton, 2)
Some argue that
law enforcement agencies that profess to be embracing the philosophies
of community oriented policing do so in rhetoric only. Those agencies
that are making sincere attempts to form partnerships in their community
for the purpose of providing services, reducing crime and improving the
quality of life may be ignoring, albeit unintentionally, certain social
communities within their geographical community. Members of the Deaf
community are one of those social communities that law enforcement
agencies may be neglecting. There are laws pertaining to how public
service agencies need to provide services to all citizens, including
those with disabilities, and there are specific recommendations
available to law enforcement agencies on how to better serve the Deaf
community. Who checks-up on local police departments to assure that
they are meeting the needs of the deaf and hearing-impaired members of
their community? A review of the City of Lodi Police Department would
seem to indicate that there are some services in place to specifically
address the needs of the hearing impaired, but it would also seem that
more could be done. Members of the Deaf community, as a whole, seem to
be supportive of the law enforcement community, but frustrated by their
contacts with police officers because of communication difficulties.
In the end, I
believe training would benefit both the Deaf community and the law
enforcement community. Law enforcement officers would benefit from
having some basic understanding of the needs of those with hearing
disabilities and they would benefit from learning some basic hand signs
to communicate the most common phrases or concepts encountered during a
traffic or pedestrian stop. Many police departments already require
officers to learn basic phrases in Spanish, or other languages,
pertaining to traffic and pedestrian stops. The Deaf community would
benefit by learning what actions on their part might cause a police
officer to become concerned or even hostile.
People who
immediately exit their vehicle during a traffic stop, sudden and rapid
hand movements and reaching into a pocket to retrieve a notepad (or
possibly a weapon in the officer's mind) are all actions that will
immediately cause concern for a police officer because they are also
actions associated with those people who may become combative. I
believe police officers want to provide the highest level of service
possible to all members of the community and, with a little training,
preparation and understanding, it is possible to provide a high level of
service to members of the Deaf community.
References
1. Lodi Police
Department (2006), Lodi Police Policy Manual, Lodi, Ca.
2. Lodi Police
Department (2004), MOU, City of Lodi and POAL, Lodi, Ca.
3. Jones,
Robert, D. (1993). FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, The, bnet
Research Center,
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2194/is_n11_v62/ai_15139854
4. Dalton,
Sunshine (2007), The deaf face challenges when interacting with law
enforcement, SW Iowa News, http://fookembug.wordpress.com/2007/08/12/the-
deaf-face-challenges-when-interacting-with-law-enforcement/
5. Obinna, J.
(2005), Understanding the Needs of the Victims of Sexual Assault in
the
Deaf
Community, US Dept of Justice,
http://www.ncjrs.gov/app/publications/abstract.aspx?ID=234353
6. U.S. DOJ
(2006), Communicating with People Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing:
ADA
Guide for Law Enforcement Officers, US DOJ,
http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/ada/lawenfcomm.htm
Other web page
references used
1. http://www.nad.org/site/pp.asp?c=foINKQMBF&b=101219
2. http://www.deafactioncentertexas.org
3. http://www.cds.org