Domingo Peralta

English 101-FY23
The Importance of Bilingualism in Policing
Over the years policing and the justice system have become one of my greatest interest.
This ultimately played a major role in my life while deciding what career path I wanted to
follow. As a student at John Jay majoring in Criminology, my goal is to be part of some form of
law enforcement within the United States. Growing up I had the opportunity to learn another
language and become fluent. This experience provides me with an advantage over those who
arent bilingual as I can communicate with more individuals. This ability is crucial with policing
due to the fact that as a Hispanic-American I can relate to the Spanish speaking community.

Policing refers to the ideology of maintaining order within society by the use of police or
military. These forms of law enforcement are used to impose regulations to the people. These
rules are used to ensure safety throughout the individuals. Many officers possess the ability to
speak another languages in order to communicate with the different kinds of people throughout
the United States. This ability is known as being bilingual which is the skill to speak two
languages. Over the years this has proven to be very beneficiary as it helps fight crime.

Living in New York we are accustomed to the bright lights, sky scrapers and the diversity
of people. New York is one of the few states within the United States which is considered a
melting pot of different races, cultures, traditions and languages. Due to this the law enforcement
reflects the people and is greatly diverse. Many of the officers are fluent in different languages
which assist them in communicating with minorities. Across the U.S there are many states that
encounter conflicts with minorities due to the fact that they arent able to communicate. States

like New York have found ways to adapt to the people. This has led me believe that bilingualism
is pivotal in order to police a diverse United States. There are many actions law enforcement can
take such as recruiting bilingual officers and different forms of training. The people should be
able to communicate with officers in order to keep a balance between them.

In the United States of America, states such as North Carolina have difficulties
communicating with non-English speakers due to the large amount of Caucasians within the
Force. An article posted by Asheville Citizens- Times elaborates on the need to hire more
bilingual individuals. According to the Article, North Carolina had the fastest growing Latino
population during the 1990s. Without having the ability to communicate with the Hispanic
Population, tragedies have occurred. Many believe efforts to recruit these bilingual individuals
should become a priority in order to ensure safety within the society. Also current police officers
are influenced into taking a Spanish in order to improve Spanish skills. These measurements
taken by the North Carolina law enforcement are crucial in order to move forward as minorities
continue to increase. This is very different compared to New York as many of the officers are
from a wide variety of races. Many police officers are assigned to communities due to their
ability to speak another language. For example in a Korean community a few more officers of
the same descent are placed in a precinct near them. This helps when trying to communicate with
the people.
Fourth Paragraph

What attempts have law enforcement made in order to adjust to the increase of

minorities within the population?

Fifth Paragraph

Have law enforcement made attempts to train their personnel in order to maintain

order within society

Sixth Paragraph

A look into Bilingual Policing by A former NYPD captain

Share his personal experience and how the ability of being able to speak another
language helped him throughout the years

Seventh Paragraph

What is my personal opinion regarding bilingualism in policing?

Work Cited Page

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Manning, Peter K. Changing Police Culture: Policing in a Multicultural Society.
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Herbst, Leigh & Walker, Samuel. Language barriers in the delivery of police services. Journal
of Criminal Justice, 29.4 (Summer 2001), 329-340. Science Direct
Block, Sherman. (1994). Policing an Increasingly diverse America. The FBI Law Enforcement
Bulletin, 63.6(1994), 24-24. Gale
Bennet, Brad R. Incorporating diversity: Police response to multicultural changes in their
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University of North Carolina, & Asheville- Buncombe Technical Community College. (2007,
May 4). ADDING MORE BILINGUAL LAW OFFICERS IS A CHALLENGE THAT MUST
BE MET. Asheville Citizens- Times, p. B.6. (May 4, 2004). ProQuest Social Sciences Premium
Collection
Associated Press. Police department seeking more bilingual cops. NBC News. (March 11,
2010)