SALT LAKE CITY — When most of us call 911, we trust someone will answer and be ready to help. But what happens when you and the 911 operator don't speak the same language?
Earlier this year, a man who spoke only Spanish called the system to report an attempted child kidnapping. An open records submission made by FOX 13 News shows the process in which a report is taken where the caller and operator do not speak the same language.
Listen below to the first seconds of a 911 call with Spanish-speaking caller:
Because the man only spoke Spanish, the Salt Lake Valley Emergency Communications Center (VECC) had to connect to a translation system. Watch the clock at the top of the screen.
The call takes 27 seconds to connect as the man followed the person suspected of trying to kidnap the child, while also relaying information that could possibly help police.
Here's what it sounds like when a call taker connects to a language line, indicating that the caller needs a Spanish translator.
Police were later able to make an arrest due to the caller giving a license plate, but the call lasted nearly 7 minutes with back-and-forth between the caller, translator and dispatcher, oftentimes with all three talking over each other.
"When individuals are calling 911, often they don't have that time, and a minute, two minutes, can mean life or death in this situation,” said Andrea Jimenez-Flores, an immigrant rights analyst at the ACLU of Utah." In a 2022 report, the ACLU analyzed the policies of Utah law enforcement agencies that oversee interactions with individuals who are considered to have 'Limited English Proficiency.'"
ASKING THE COMMUNITY
During a visit to local radio station La Rey 107.1 in Salt Lake City, FOX 13 News learned about the local Hispanic community's experiences in dealing with similar situations involving 911.
One caller shared the story of a time she called 911 to help a person in need, and ended up waiting longer than she was told and felt that the language had played a role in the delay.
Below, DJ Oscar Correa of La Rey 107.1 put out a call on the air and social media to learn about the Hispanic community's experience with 911:
WHO TAKES 911 CALLS FOR SALT LAKE COUNTY
VECC is one of two primary public-safety answering points for Salt Lake County, the other being the Salt Lake City 911 Communications Bureau (SLC911). On its own, VECC takes in about 500,000 emergency calls each year and over one million calls in total.
“We're actually the largest 911 dispatch center in Utah,” said Ivan Whitaker, VECC’s executive director.
Robin Garrett, a 911 call taker, has often encountered callers who don't speak English. She said those kinds of calls add to the stress of a situation.
“A little, because I'm not sure you know how emergent it is at that point,” Garrett said. “And I need to try to get that information. So it's a little tense and just trying to get to what the caller is needing. So first, you have to figure out what language they're needing.”
USING A TRANSLATION SYSTEM
There’s currently a system in place at VECC to detect a specific language.
“If they speak another language, we're easily able to press the button and conferencing language line and get an interpreter on the line,” Whitaker explained.
VECC contracts with an off-site company called CyraCom International to provide an interpreter to provide language and translation services for non-English and non-Spanish 911 calls. Interpreters can be located anywhere in the country or world.
But that process of translating isn’t always instantaneous due to several protocols and steps that follow.
At the call center, there are 120 dispatchers, roughly 13 percent of which are bilingual. Being bilingual in Spanish and English is not a VECC requirement and applicants are not incentivized if they do speak a secondary language.
Spanish is the second most spoken language in the state, according to Utah Department of Health and Human Services,
“Spanish was their most used interpretation service,” said Jimenez-Flores. “And with that, in 2020, they used approximately 84,000 minutes. And when we think about how long 911 calls are, those minutes add up to so many calls.”
The ALCU of Utah's report notes that Salt Lake County has over 70,000 limited English proficient speakers, meaning they speak English less than, “very well,” and about 50,000 of those residents speak Spanish, with 20,000 others speaking another language.
Jimenez-Florez claims there is a lack of funding for law enforcement agencies and dispatch centers to have bilingual personnel or interpreters on staff.
“At the end of the day, they’re choosing to save money over potentially saving lives,” she said.
Demand for access to greater language services in law enforcement isn’t only happening in Utah. Cities across North America are in search of additional multilingual dispatchers. Emergency Services in El Paso, Texas requires its 911 call takers to be fluent in English and Spanish.
Requirements of the Emergency Services in El Paso, Texas
However, Jimenez-Flores notes that hiring someone who is bilingual shouldn't be the only criteria.
"Just because you are bilingual, it doesn't necessarily mean that you can offer interpretation, so they should be certified and qualified,” she added.
VECC is currently promoting dispatcher careers in local schools.
“This is an excellent career for them, or an entryway," explained Whitaker. "So I want to work with the counselors at the high school to be able to introduce this as a career, therefore having more diversity as well.”
TARGETING THE RIGHT DEMOGRAPHICS
La Rey 107.1 DJ Oscar Correa believes it's possible the lack of multilingual 911 dispatchers is a sign that VECC and other centers aren’t targeting the right demographics. After putting a call out on his radio show, Correa says he received multiple comments on his social media platforms asking how and where people could apply for 911 dispatcher positions.
Community members asked DJ Correa online how does one become a 911 dispatcher?
"There are so many people capable of working as a 911 dispatcher — people that speak both Spanish in English and could work for VECC — but perhaps their message isn’t getting to the Hispanic community of Salt Lake maybe because the information they are sharing is in places we don't even know exist, " Correa said.
The ACLU of Utah says the only option is to be proactive about hiring bilingual call-takers.
“These are life and death situations," said Jimenez-Flores, "and a minute can mean the end of someone's life. And even when the stakes aren't as high, people deserve equal access to all of the services that are available,”
———————————
Other requirements, according to the Dispatcher Training Act, require each applicant to meet certain citizenship criteria, be at least 18 years old, have a high school diploma or GED, pass a drug and background investigation, and pass a psychiatric evaluation.
Once hired, among other certifications, all call takers are required to become Emergency Medical Dispatch (EMD) certified.