State and Local Government

Department of Justice (DOJ) Title VI Enforcement 

DOJ Title VI Language Access Agreement with Hazleton Pennsylvania Police Department  - May 28, 2021 

• Agreement  (Spanish Español)
• Press Release (Spanish Español) 
• Press Release (English)  

United States Agrees to Comprehensive Settlement with Suffolk County Police Department to Resolve Investigation of Discriminatory Policing Against Latinos, with "meaningful access to police services for individuals with limited English proficiency (LEP)" - December 3, 2013

Department of Justice Files Title VI Statement of Interest in Case Alleging National Origin Discrimination by NYPD - November 22, 2013

U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona denies Maricopa County and Sheriff Arpaio's Motions to Dismiss, ruling that "longstanding case law, federal regulations and agency interpretation of those regulations hold language-based discrimination constitutes a form of national origin discrimination under Title VI." See pages 6-8 - December 12, 2012

New York City Police Department LEP Compliance Review, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice - February, 2010

Memorandum of Agreement between USA and Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office, Civil Rights Division, Federal Coordination and Compliance Section, U.S. Department of Justice - May 11, 2010

Memorandum of Agreement between USA and Town of Mattawa Washington and Mattawa Police Department, Civil Rights Division, Federal Coordination and Compliance Section, U.S. Department of Justice - March 18, 2008

Memorandum of Agreement between USA and Lake Worth, FL Police Department, Civil Rights Division, Federal Coordination and Compliance Section, U.S. Department of Justice - March 17, 2007

Directives, Orders, Policies, and Forms 

Nassau County Police Department, New York, Language Access Recommendation Form - March 2021

Fulton County Sheriff's Office Written Directive on Limited English Proficiency (LEP) Guidelines, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice - January, 2008

Knoxville Tennessee Police Department General Order Regarding Limited English Proficiency Assistance Plan, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice - January, 2008

Reno Nevada Police Department's Limited English Proficiency Plan, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice - August, 2006

San Francisco General Order Regarding Language Access Services for Limited English Proficient (LEP) Persons, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice - October, 2007

• Officer LEP Training Video (YouTube) - February 28, 2014
• Guide to Language Assistance Services in 4 Non-English Languages

Modesto California Police Department General Order Regarding Limited English Proficiency Assessment Plan and Service Delivery, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice - September, 2007

Las Vegas Nevada Metropolitan Police Department Procedural Order on Interaction with Persons Who Have Limited English Proficiency (LEP), Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice - 2006

Philadelphia Police Department Limited English Language Proficiency Directive 71 - December, 2005

Related Resources 

What are the pros and cons of giving non-bilingual police officers cards with pictures and bilingual descriptors to help get a description of a fleeing suspect from witnesses and suspects on the scene? Commonly Asked Questions and Answers Regarding Limited English Proficient (LEP) Individuals, Question 13

Lost in Translation: Limited English Proficient Populations and the Police by Bharathi A. Venkatraman, Attorney, Civil Rights Division, Federal Coordination and Compliance Section, U.S. Department of Justice. (Archived) - August, 2006

Overcoming Language Barriers: Solutions for Law Enforcement, Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Program, U.S. Department of Justice and the Vera Institute of Justice

Providing Meaningful Language Access and Avoiding the Use of Children as Interpreters – Resources for Law Enforcement, Casa de Esperanza: National Latin@ Network for Healthy Families and Communities- May 2019

New York Attorney General Schneiderman Secures Agreement Ensuring Full Access to Law Enforcement Services in Middletown - September 20, 2013 (Spanish)

District Attorney’s Language Access Plan, Brown County, Wisconsin - September 2021 

Alaska State Department of Law Language Access Plan - August 2013

Considerations for Providing Language Access in a Prosecutorial Agency - September 21, 2011

U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice, Office for Civil Rights, Ends Investigation of the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision's Provision of Language-Access Services - March 3, 2016

U.S. Department of Justice Investigation of the New Jersey Department of Corrections

• Memorandum of Agreement to Improve Language Assistance Services for Limited English Proficient Inmates - October 15, 2014
• U.S. Department of Justice Letter to the New Jersey Department of Corrections Regarding Investigation - February 22, 2021

U.S. Department of Justice Proposed Consent Decree with Orleans Parish Prison Requires Language Assistance Services for Spanish-Speaking LEP Inmates. See pages 34-37 - December, 2012

Virginia Department of Corrections, Operating Procedure 801.7, Language Services for Limited English Proficiency - October 1, 2021

New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, Directive 4490 - January 6, 2020

Wisconsin Department of Corrections, Administrative Directive # 14-02, Limited English Proficiency (LEP) - April 1, 2014

Vera Institute, Developing a PREA-Compliant Language Access Plan for Incarcerated People Who Are Limited English Proficient - October 2020

Suffolk County, New York, Probation Department Language Access Plan - June 21, 2019

New York City, Department of Probation, Language Access Plan - August, 2016

Santa Clara, California Probation Department Language Access Plan - January 17, 2013

Migration Policy Institute,

• Report: A Framework for Language Access: Key Features of U.S. State and Local Language Access Laws and Policies - October 2021
• Webinar: Translating Into Success: Key Features of U.S. State & Local Language Access Laws and Policies  - October 2021

Maryland State Code, Section 10-1103

Hawaii, Language Access Law, Chapter 321C

Washington D.C., Language Access Act of 2004

California, Dymally-Alatorre Bilingual Services Act - 1973

New York State, Executive Order 26: Statewide Language Access Policy - October 6, 2011; Amended by Executive Order 26.1 - March 23, 2021 

Guam, Executive Order 2015-015 - December 31, 2015

Anchorage, Alaska, Operating Policy and Procedure 16-6 - September 1, 2018

New York City, Local Law 30 - March 20, 2017

Boston, Massachusetts, Ordinance 2016, Chapter 16 - 2016

Seattle, Washington, Executive Order 2017-10 - October 2, 2017

San Francisco, California, Ordinance 27-15, Language Access Requirements for Departments - March 3, 2015

Houston, Texas, Administrative Procedure 2-11 - May 16, 2014

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Executive Order 9-08: Access to City Programs and Activities for Individuals with Limited English Proficiency - June 9, 2008

King County, Washington State, Executive Order INF 14-2 (AEO): Written Language Translation Process - October 13, 2010

Montgomery County, Maryland, Executive Order 046-10: Access to County Services for Individuals with Limited English Proficiency (English).  Also available in Español (Spanish) | 中文 (Chinese) | 한국어 (Korean) | Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese) - March 4, 2010