Multilingual Police Unit Bridges Investigative Gaps

The unit was a pet project of Lt. Richard Perez, a Spanish-speaking former homicide detective who was frequently summoned all over the county, at all hours, for all kinds of cases.

Perez studied the population and languages of Fairfax and determined that the greatest need was for Spanish, followed by Korean. Seven of the 10 members of the new unit are fluent in Spanish, two speak Korean and one speaks Vietnamese.

Recently released county statistics show that the need for other languages will grow. In 2004, more than 300,000 Fairfax residents -- close to a third of the population -- spoke a language other than English at home, and more than 80,000 lived in a home considered "linguistically isolated" -- no one 14 or older spoke English well.

Callahan said another goal is to hire foreign-language speakers as full-time detectives. "But let's face it," he said, "bilingual officers are needed on the streets, too."

Lee recalled the time he was dispatched to a traffic accident on Columbia Pike. An elderly Korean woman who spoke no English was involved. "She was steaming; she was so frustrated," Lee said. "She could not convey a simple message. The mere fact I was able to listen to her and get her side of the story, she was so relieved she shook my hand."

Perez said the frustration works both ways and was one reason he lobbied for the unit's creation. Detectives, under time pressures, hit walls "when the cultural barriers were erected before them," he said. But when accompanied by a trained interrogator who spoke the needed language, "those barriers go down. It's a big help to diminish that frustration."

Foreign-language speakers can also overcome a distrust of police. In Central America and Asia, police are often viewed as corrupt or authoritarian, Lee and Marinero said. Convincing someone from another country that American police are different is another crucial component of the unit's work, the officers said.

High-profile investigations aren't the only place where the unit is needed. Crash investigations, dealing with the public and the media, and recruiting for the department are other roles its members are expected to play.

Marinero said he attends job fairs for the department, trying to attract more Latino applicants. "I tell them, 'Hey, we need you, to be a better police department, to serve you better,' " Marinero said.