Freeport, federal government agree on police access plan for non-English speakers 

The village of Freeport has entered into a voluntary agreement with the federal government to ensure non-English speakers can access police department services, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Thursday.

The agreement, which the Justice Department called the first of its kind, establishes coordination between the Freeport Police Department and the DOJ to develop a language access program to serve Freeport residents.

"It is critically important that law enforcement can communicate effectively with members of the community, regardless of the language that they speak," Breon Peace, U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York, said in a news release.

Under the agreement, which was signed Dec. 11, the Freeport Police Department will establish a language access coordinator to oversee the effort and create procedures to identify individuals who are not proficient in English who may need assistance. Translation assistance can be in person, using bilingual personnel or professional translators, or it can be remote by phone or video, according to the agreement.

The protocols also will make sure the police department obtains "quality translations" for non-English complaints, documents and written material. Those protocols would ensure police do not rely on family members, bystanders or other unqualified translators, except in "exigent circumstances."

Law enforcement agencies "must be able to communicate in an accurate and timely manner with all members of the public, regardless of language spoken." The failure of law enforcement agencies to communicate accurately and quickly with perpetrators, victims and witnesses who are not proficient in English has had "tragic consequences," the agreement states.

Freeport police referred questions to the village government. Mayor Robert Kennedy did not respond to requests for comment Thursday.

U.S. Census data shows 44.5% of Freeport’s population of 44,472 speaks a language other than English at home. That compares with 31% across New York State. Spanish is the second most common language in the village after English, spoken at home by 38.1% of the population, according to census data. The remaining languages spoken at home include 4% Indo-European, 0.7% Asian and Pacific Islander and 1.7% "other," according to census data.

The village has a higher rate of foreign-born inhabitants, 34.5%, compared with 23.1% statewide, census data shows.

The Justice Department in 2022 established a program, called the Law Enforcement Language Access Initiative, to assist local law enforcement agencies to develop practices to help non-English speakers and to comply with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of national origin.

The program was designed for police departments "that recognize the need for accurate and timely communication and are willing to invest in the language access tools and training" to ensure victims and witnesses can report crimes and evidence will be reliable, Kristen Clarke, assistant attorney general for civil rights at the Justice Department, said in a news release. Better communication promotes community trust, Clarke said.

Freeport entered into the agreement voluntarily and not as a result of a complaint or investigation, the Justice Department said in its release.

John Marzulli, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's office, said in an email on Thursday that the Justice Department took the initial move. "Freeport responded positively to our outreach and the agreement is the result of our conversations," Marzulli said in the email. The agreement provides for technical assistance from the DOJ but not funding, Marzulli said. 

The Justice Department has entered into a half dozen agreements with police and sheriffs departments across the United States regarding language access but those agreements, posted on its limited English proficiency program website, indicate they were preceded by investigations or complaints.