Mayor Tim Keller, City of Albuquerque | City of Albuquerque
Mayor Tim Keller, City of Albuquerque | City of Albuquerque
The Albuquerque Police Department (APD) has issued a reminder to the public regarding the availability of language access resources for non-English speakers within the community. In 2024, the Emergency Communications Center received 12,556 calls in languages other than English, with phone interpretation provided during those instances. The predominant languages are Spanish, Vietnamese, Swahili, Mandarin, Arabic, American Sign Language, Navajo, Kinyarwanda, Farsi, and Dari.
"APD is committed to providing timely and accurate services to our diverse community and anyone who is the victim of a crime, regardless of the language they communicate in or immigration status," a spokesperson stated. Similar resources are available for those involved in criminal activities.
The APD's Language Access Program includes written materials in multiple languages and uses interpretation to communicate with individuals whose primary language is not English. This helps remove barriers to accessing services and promotes equitable participation from all community members.
When interpretation services are necessary, community members can simply indicate their preferred language. Police officers and Emergency Communications personnel have been trained to use telephonic interpretation services, thereby facilitating effective communication for reporting crimes or sharing other information.
APD launched its first Language Access Implementation Committee in 2023. This committee comprises volunteers from various APD bureaus and a representative from the Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs (OIRA). The committee regularly meets to explore ways to improve service accessibility and facilitates communication between the public and APD when language barriers arise.
Additionally, APD has released a series of informational videos on its social media platforms available in multiple languages, aiming to enhance public awareness of available language resources.
The press release was also issued in Spanish to reach a wider audience within the community.
Alerts Sign-up