Preliminary Findings: Police’s Navigation of Language & Cultural Barriers

• In Event: Police Organizations

Abstract

How do police address the dual challenges of navigating language barriers while also building trust with linguistically and culturally diverse community members? To address this question, I draw on Lipsky’s (2010) discussion of street-level bureaucrats and their development of “routines of practice.” In my presentation, I will share my preliminary findings from my research in a mid-sized agrarian city in Washington. I conducted 33 interviews with law enforcement personnel, took field notes from 60 hours of observations during police ride-alongs, and conducted 4 focus groups with community members. My preliminary findings suggest that officers’ decisions about when and how to provide language services are partially contingent upon several factors, including (but not limited to) the exigency of the situation, the seriousness of the crime, the availability of resources (e.g., bilingual officers), as well as their department’s culture, the unique subculture of their particular shift (day, swing, or graveyard), the supervisory style of officers leading shifts, their working style with fellow officers, and their individual preferences. I also discuss organizational challenges around limited resources, such as a finite number of bilingual officers. Finally, I will discuss identity dynamics, and how they may help or hinder rapport-building.

Author

• Hillary Mellinger, Washington State University