Spanish for Law Enforcement

Spanish for Law Enforcement

Strengthen community safety through better communication! In a time when effective communication is more crucial than ever for public safety, law enforcement officers can learn new skills to better serve their communities. TLC’s Spanish for Law Enforcement course, offered in partnership with the Law Enforcement Innovation Center (LEIC),  is designed for the true beginner in Spanish and specifically addresses the challenges and vocabulary of policing.

Officers learn essential phrases, commands, and interview techniques to communicate effectively during traffic stops, arrests, domestic violence, medical emergencies, and other common law enforcement scenarios. The class is highly participative, and the participants will engage in pair and group work, memorization games, and hands-on and act-out activities – all designed to help create a fun and effective language learning environment. Given the growing Spanish-speaking population in Tennessee, this training is part of a proactive approach by law enforcement agencies to break down language barriers,  further community relationships, and improve safety.

Currently, costs for the class are funded by the Tennessee Office of Criminal Justice Programs (OCJP) Violent Crime Intervention Fund (VCIF) program.

For more information, email worldlanguages@tennessee.edu.