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Sheriff’s deputies taking Spanish classes
| Article published on Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2009 |
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The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office recently launched its most recent initiative: Spanish classes for deputies.
The year-long intensive program was established in an effort to better serve the growing Hispanic population of Pinellas County, and has so far enrolled 18 certified law enforcement deputies in the specialized curriculum.
The deputies began their first semester of classes on Sept.14. The participants attend classes for two hour sessions, three times a week at the Sheriff’s ASB facility.
This program differs from previous 40-hour Spanish courses made available to law enforcement in that it is a year-long program (288-hours) that is expected to take deputies beyond everyday ‘catch phrases’ to conversational fluency and proficiency in reading and writing.
The first semester curriculum, which lasts 24-weeks, will include the basics such as the alphabet, numbers, phonetics, verbs tenses, conjugations, etc. It is best described as paralleling high school level courses of Spanish 1 and 2.
The basic course is followed by a second 24-week semester of Advanced Spanish, essentially requiring about a one-year commitment from the participants.
In the advanced portion, the classes will move out to scenario based instruction; and then to practical use out in the community.
The instructor, Sandra Springer, an experienced Spanish teacher, will guide the deputies through the entire process. Springer comes to the Sheriff’s through a partnership with PTEC.
The cost is paid for by the Sheriff’s Office Training program and is $9,279 a semester for the 18 students, plus a one time cost of $500 for the curriculum development.
The Hispanic community in Pinellas County’s has grown at a high rate in recent years. In their work in the community, deputies come into daily contact with persons who speak only Spanish. The language barrier has created difficulties in obtaining and providing information, taking reports, and providing general assistance as necessary.
The pilot program is designed to help close that language gap and increase deputies’ ability to assist the Hispanic community with their law enforcement needs as well to increase deputies’ efficiency in dealing with the criminal element.
As the program progresses, the Sheriff’s Office goal is to equip as many as 60 to 70 deputies with a level of proficiency in Spanish that allows them to effectively communicate with non-English or limited English speaking Hispanics in Pinellas.
For more information about this initiative or for coverage opportunities, call the Public Information Office at 727-582-6221.
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Article published on Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2009
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