The "Spanish" Speaking Officer
Mar 22, 2021OUTCOME: Dismissal
Spanish speaking client pulled over for speeding on the highway by an English speaking officer who suspected my client was intoxicated, and she could not understand his explanation for speeding. The of ... ficer calls for a DWI officer who can speak Spanish to continue the investigation. The back-up officer attempted to do field sobriety tests, but admits he is not trained to do them in Spanish so he is only able to translate one of the three common exams, the HGN (eye) test. After this, my client is arrested for DWI. After finally finding a prosecutor who understood Spanish, I was able to show them my client's valid reasoning for his speed. More importantly, I was able to point out the clear disconnect and miscommunication between my Spanish speaking client and the "Spanish" speaking DWI officer.
