Language Barrier Poses Hurdle In Murder Investigation
A major language barrier poses a hurdle for investigators in a Cleveland murder case. Potential witnesses and many of the victim's family members do not speak English.
"Holla mi llamo es Jennifer Henderson," Cleveland Police Officer Jennifer Henderson says introducing herself.
Henderson patrols Cleveland's northeast sector and also helps translate Spanish for the Police Department.
"Quite often actually, it's becoming more and more complicated with that," Henderson says.
And it's a complication the Cleveland Police Department ran into on Friday when someone murdered Freddy Perez Roblero inside of
his business, Viva Mexico. Many of Roblero's friends and associates do not speak English, so today the Cleveland Police Department wanted us to release a Spanish statement for the Hispanic community.
To ease the language barrier, the Cleveland Police Department has two bilingual Police Officers on staff and also brings in professional translators for bigger cases. But Reverend Mike Feely, who worked with families involved in the immigration raid at Pilgrim's Pride last year, says this kind of communication is a two way street.
"You can have a bilingual operator waiting for the call but if the person is a little afraid or unsure you've got to have that trust level as well," Feely says.
A trust that starts with Officers like Henderson who respond to a variety of crimes that can translate into heartbreak.
"As long as they can stay calm and just try there best I mean we're trying our best if they can try their best to kind of meet in the middle there," Henderson says.
The Cleveland Police Department also has a language line through their dispatch center that helps translate conversations. And people who work with the Hispanic community say that people who do not speak English should try to build relationships with their local Police Department and take classes to learn basic English reading and writing.
Please click on the link to La Paz de Dios to find out more about the social service organization that helps bring resources to the local Hispanic community.
