Marta Bautista Renteria
Katharine C. Purcell
ENG 101
February 22, 2023 Language Barrier in the Police Force Hispanics communicate in a variety of Languages, and some do not speak English. These differences in communication skills can often create communication barriers between Law enforcement. Hispanics have always been stereotyped for their race, skin color, or language. The way the media portrays Hispanics has not been excellent. Historically, Hispanic stereotypes have been used for entertainment, advertisements, and commercials. Stereotypical images of Hispanic people, particularly Mexicans, make people believe we are here illegally and cannot speak English. One of the communication difficulties I have encountered is Police Language Barrier discrimination. Why does law enforcement target the Hispanic culture? Some of the issues are racial profiling, and police officers cannot understand what Hispanics are saying, which causes language barriers. There are also cultural differences and, in some cases, mistrust of
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Was he going to frame me, kill me, or get aggressive? Did he understand what I had asked him? Was he listening to me? Recent studies have shown that Hispanics have been killed by police officers or died in custody because of language misunderstandings. I wanted to cry, but I knew I could not show emotions. The coast was not clear. The officer returned and handed me my information; from what I could understand, he said, "you are free to go. I apologize for stopping you. There is no need to call the supervisor; you are not getting a ticket. I stopped you because your car looked like the description of the vehicle we are looking for; I wanted to be sure you spoke English, so I asked the question. Have a nice night." I contemplated making a big scene but realized I was alone on a dark road. I just wanted to go home and try to forget that night that