Spanish for the Uniformed Patrol Officer
Course Description:
This course will provide students with exposure to basic concepts of the Latin American Spanish language through the use and understanding of specific words and phrases needed by Law Enforcement Officers (LEOs) when in contact with Spanish-only speakers. This course places emphasis on drug terminology, field interrogations, executing arrests, officer safety and specialized Spanish vocabulary that indicates impending danger. Attention is given to action scenarios and role-playing. In addition to Spanish language training, a special cross-culture component addresses the elimination of non-verbal communication barriers that will enhance officer safety and effectiveness when dealing with Spanish-speaking persons. The use and understanding of Spanish are especially vital when enforcing laws related to Organized and Transnational Criminal Organizations.
Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:
- Use Spanish to identify and remove drivers and passengers from a vehicle, obtain consent to search the vehicle, safely search vehicle and suspects, locate drugs and paraphernalia, maintain control of suspects to voice commands, control bystanders and interpret body language messages
- Use/recognize Spanish drug terminology, and recognize offensive Spanish words
- Describe how the Spanish surname system works
- Recognize Latin American identity documents, identify patron saints of drugs and related images, understand the consular notification process
- Identify similarities and differences within Latino sub-sets and describe basic Latino demographics and the primary differences between Latinos and non-Latino’s
Prerequisites: None
Course Length: 3 days / 24 hours
Who May Attend: Law Enforcement, Corrections