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Date: 01/31/07 Revision: 03/17/23 Reviewed: 09/12/24 HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE CHAD CHRONISTER , SHERIFF STANDARD OPERATING PROCED URE Number: GEN 233.05 Page: 1 of 4 SUBJECT: LIMITED ENGLISH PROFICIENCY (LEP) PROGRA M I. PURPOSE : The purpose of this standard operating procedure is to establish effective guidelines , which are consistent with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Omnibus Crime Cont rol and Safe Streets Act of 1968 , for the proper handling of situations involving persons w ith Limited English Proficiency (LEP) . II. SCOPE : This procedure shall apply to all Sheriff's Office personnel. III. POLICY : It is the policy of the Sheriff’s Office to utilize all available resources required to provide persons with LEP timely and meaning ful access to its services, programs, activities , and benefits . All Sheriff’s Office personnel shall provide language assistance services to LEP persons whom they encounter or whenever a person of LEP requests such services. Personnel shall inform the public of the availability of language assi stance services and that these service s will be provided upon request and without charge . IV. DISCUSSION : The S heriff’s Office recognizes the importance of effective and accurate communica tion with t he community. Language barriers can impede or prohibit individuals with limited English language skills from accessing or understanding important legal rights, obligations, and services. The inability of personnel to accurately and effectively communicate with members of the community can have serious implicatio ns (especially when dealing with victims, witness es, or suspects of crimes ). Moreover, a failure to protect the rights of LEP persons during arrest and interrogation present s a risk to the integrity of the investigation. Personnel must recognize miscommunication during the interrogation or interview process may have a substantial impact on the evide nce presented in a criminal prosecution. Additiona lly, such language barriers present challe nges and threaten the general safety of employees. Sheriff’s Offi ce personnel shall make all reasonable efforts to effectively communicate with individuals who have limited abilities comprehending the English languag e. V. DEFINITIONS : * A. Authorized Tran slator and/or Interpreter - An in -house or contracted translator and/or interpreter who has demonstrated his/her competence to interpret and/or translate information or is authorized to do so by the Sheriff’s Office. B. Bilingual - The ability to use two languages proficiently . C. Interpretation - The act of listening to a communication in one language (source language) and orally converting it to another language (target language) while retaining the same meaning. * D. LEP Language Certified Personnel - Personnel certified as a translator and/or interpreter proficient in Spanish via an intermediate -high to advanced -mid/high score on the American Council of the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) scale. 1. Certification shall be administered by the Human Resources Division. GEN 233.05 03/17/23 Page 2 of 4 2. LEP Language Certified Personnel shall receive a monthly allowance for the work performed as authorized LEP translators and/or interpreters . * E. LEP Program Contact - The LEP Program Contact (Chief Human Resource Officer) , or designee , shall be responsible for the administration of the program by acting as a liaison with the D epartment of Justice and reporting LEP statistics. 1. The LEP Program Contact shall keep the Sheriff informed of any new Department of Justice LEP policies , as well as any changes in requirements and/or responsibi lities of the program . 2. The LEP Program Contact shall serve as a liaison with the Department of Administrative Services, Department of Patrol Services, Depar tment of Operational Suppor t, Department of Investigative Services , and the Department of Detention Services . 3. The LEP Program Contact shall be responsible for classifying documents as vital or non -vital for purposes of translation . a. Initiall y, documents identified as vital will be translated into t he target language of Spanish. Personnel can obtain these documents either via the Employee I ntranet or contacting the LEP Program Contact. b. The LEP Program Contact will determine if any other documents should be translated base d on overall Hillsborough County popula tion demographics. c. The LEP Program Contact shall ensure all vital translated external documents are available to the public. d. The LEP Program Contact shall be responsible for annually updating policies and re viewing the demographic data to identif y any changes in the LEP po pulation which may alter the target language. F. Limited English Proficiency (LEP) Person - Individuals whose primary language is not English and /or have a limited ability to read, write, speak , or understand English. Persons competent in certai n types of communication may still qualify as a LEP person for other reaso ns (example: a LEP person may be able to speak English but lack the ability to read or wri te English ). LEP persons are not proficient in the English language at a level which allows compre hension of communication during encounters with Sheriff