NEW YORK — Police departments across the country are stepping up efforts to recruit officers who can speak more than one language, in some cases offering raises or even sending cops abroad as part of immersion programs.
Police chiefs hope the investment pays off by improving service to immigrant communities and easing fear of officers in those areas.
“To fight crime, you have to be able to communicate,” said Susan Shah of the Vera Institute of Justice in New York, which used a federal grant to review the language practices of nearly 200 law enforcement agencies nationwide.
New York Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly has emphasized hiring bilingual officers, especially those fluent in languages spoken in countries with terrorist ties.
Recent census data shows more than 20 percent of Americans speak a language other than English and 12 percent are foreign-born.
