Acquisition and Retention of Job-Specific Spanish Vocabulary by English-Speaking Law Enforcement Officers

• NCJ Number: 216520
• Journal: Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology Volume: 21 Issue: 2 Dated: Fall 2006 Pages: 68-82
• Author(s): Doreen M. Blandino; Mark G. Rivardo
• Date Published: 2006
• Length: 15 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Program/Project Evaluation
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This evaluation assessed the effectiveness of the Officer Safety and Communication Spanish, Level I course (Alentado, 1995) in enabling English-speaking police officers to communicate more effectively with Spanish-speaking suspects or witnesses.

Abstract

The evaluation found that both role-play performance and perceived ability of the officers to use Spanish at work increased as a result of course participation, and effectiveness did not decrease significantly 6 months after the course. The assessment of the effectiveness of study aids was inconclusive; however, the evaluation concluded that job-specific short courses in a second language could be effective in giving English-speaking officers limited skills in another language. Participants completed a questionnaire that assessed their motivation to learn the effective use of Spanish on the job, their current level of job-related Spanish proficiency, and their expectations of the program. The students then received 2 hours of instruction in the Spanish alphabet. This was followed by instruction in the vocabulary to use when conducting a vehicle stop and felony arrest. On the third and final day of the class, students spent 2 hours learning "danger" words, gang slang, and drug terms. Students were also tested on their ability to conduct a vehicle stop and felony arrest in Spanish. Assessment of the course involved the collection of data from many training facilities across the United States. Participants at each facility completed a questionnaire prior to and at the conclusion of the course. For those officers who participated through the Pennsylvania State Police Southwest Training Center, data from the questionnaire and role-play performance were collected immediately after course completion and 3 months and 6 months after completion. A total of 198 officers were included in the evaluation. 3 tables, 5 figures, and 17 references