ARIZONA
Basic Survival Spanish for Law Enforcement
and DUI/DWI Protocols

PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION
Hispanic Americans are the fastest-growing minority population in the United States. Arizona shares a border with Mexico and, as such, has welcomed increasing numbers of Spanish speaking motorists. Law enforcement agencies in Arizona are aware of communication problems, exacerbated by cultural differences, between law enforcement officers and motorists who speak only Spanish. The problems are particularly acute while performing field sobriety tests (FSTs), during which an officer may not be able to properly explain the tests. In the most extreme situations, impaired motorists have been released because the police officer could not communicate with the driver.

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
The goal of the Basic Survival Spanish for Law Enforcement and Driving Under the Influence/Driving While Intoxicated (DUI/DWI) Protocols program, is to increase successful apprehensions of Arizona motorists who are driving while impaired by alcohol. This goal will be addressed through the following objectives:

• Focusing special DUI/DWI programs on Spanish speaking drivers
• Providing law enforcement officers with basic Spanish language skills
• Developing a Spanish language DUI enforcement training course
• Developing a Spanish language DUI/DWI protocol training course

STRATEGIES AND ACTIVITIES
In 1998, the Arizona Governor's Office of Highway Safety developed a two-part program designed to resolve the communication problems between law enforcement officers and drivers apprehended for impaired driving, who speak only Spanish. The program consists of two multi-hour training courses:

• During the first course, officers are trained in basic Spanish survival, with emphasis on DUI enforcement and FST administration. Officers are selected to participate in the training course based on their proven skills in detecting and apprehending an impaired driver. These officers are most often chosen from among those assigned to the statewide DUI Task Forces. Upon completion of the 24-hour Basic Survival Spanish for Law Enforcement Officers course, officers are able to produce Spanish sounds correctly, pronounce necessary Spanish words intelligibly, recognize and work effectively with cultural differences among the driving public, and conduct specific law enforcement protocols in Spanish. Specific law enforcement protocols include:

  Stopping and searching a suspect
  Serving an arrest or search warrant
  Making a traffic stop
  Booking a suspect
  "Mirandizing" a suspect

• Upon completion of the 8-hour training course, Survival Spanish for DUI/DWI Protocols, officers will be able to use Spanish to conduct the following law enforcement protocols:

  DUI/DWI initial contact
  Four FSTs (horizontal gaze nystagmus, walk and turn, one leg stand, finger to nose)
  Results of the FST
  Medical emergencies

RESULTS
Since 1998, more than 350 law enforcement officers have participated in the two Spanish language training courses.

Based on the popularity and expressed value of the original two training classes, a third, 80-hour, training class has been developed, entitled Spanish Immersion Program.

SUMMER 2000