Hard of Hearing Alabama

Law Center
814 Thayer Avenue
Silver Spring, MD 20910-4500

(301) 587-7730 (Voice or TTY)
(301) 587-0234 (Fax)

LEGAL OBLIGATIONS OF LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES TO DEAF AND HARD-OF-HEARING INDIVIDUALS

INTRODUCTION

Law enforcement agencies on both the state and local level have a federal mandate to ensure adequate and appropriate communication to deaf and hard of hearing persons who have need to, or who are asked to, communicate with these agencies. This mandate is found in two federal laws protecting the rights of individuals with disabilities.

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, 29 U.S.C. 794 provides that:

. . . no otherwise qualified handicapped individual in the United States. . . shall, solely by reason of his handicap, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.

Many police departments in the United States receive financial assistance from one or more federal agencies and are therefore subject to the requirements of this Section. Each federal agency must issue regulations explaining the Section 504 responsibilities of its funding recipients and outlining its own Section 504 enforcement procedures.

The sources of federal assistance to police departments are varied. Many receive Department of Justice or Department of Transportation (DOT) funding. Other law enforcement agencies receive additional funding from the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

THE REQUIREMENT OF QUALIFIED SIGN LANGUAGE INTERPRETERS

The Section 504 Regulations of each of the agencies named above require law enforcement offices to provide qualified sign language interpreters for communication with hearing-impaired persons who rely on sign language. The Department of Justice (DOJ) Regulations pursuant to Section 504, 28 C.F.R. Part 42, specifically mandate this accommodation:

A recipient that employs fifteen or more persons shall provide appropriate auxiliary aids to qualified handicapped persons with impaired sensory, manual or speaking skills where a refusal to make such provision would discriminatorily impair or exclude the participation of such persons in a program receiving Federal financial assistance. Such auxiliary aids may include…qualified interpreters…Department officials may require recipients employing fewer than fifteen persons to provide auxiliary aids when this would not significantly impair the ability of the recipient to provide its benefits or services. 28 C.F.R. 42.503(f).

The Department of Justice Analysis of this Regulation as it relates to law enforcement agencies elaborates on this requirement and the need behind it.

Law enforcement agencies should provide for the availability of qualified interpreters (certified where possible, by a recognized certification agency) to assist the agencies when dealing with hearing impaired persons. Where the hearing impaired person uses American Sign Language¹ for communication, the term “qualified interpreter” would mean an interpreter skilled in communicating in American Sign Language. It is the responsibility of the law enforcement agency to determine whether the hearing impaired person uses American Sign Language or Signed English to communicate.

If a hearing impaired person is arrested, the arresting officer’s Miranda warning should be communicated to the arrestee on a printed form approved for such use by the law enforcement agency where thee (sic) is no qualified interpreter immediately available and communication is otherwise inadequate. The form should also advise the arrestee that the law enforcement agency has an obligation under Federal law to offer an interpreter to the arrestee without cost and that the agency will defer interrogation pending the appearance of an interpreter. 45 Fed. Reg. 37630 (June 3, 1980), Analysis of Department of Justice Regulations, citation omitted, emphasis added.

This Analysis makes many important points in regard to the provision of interpreters to deaf individuals. First, it must be noted that neither the Regulation nor the Analysis limits the provision of interpreter services to deaf arrestees. Victims and complainants should certainly also be provided with those services. In addition, deaf and hard of hearing persons attending programs and functions sponsored by a law enforcement agency, such as informational workshops and educational programs, must be provided with a qualified interpreter or other auxiliary aids upon request.

The critical importance of the interpreter's qualifications is stressed in the Analysis. The law enforcement agency should ensure securing of qualified interpreters by contacting the local or state chapter of the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID) for a list of certified and qualified interpreters. If an interpreter is not achieving adequate communication as judged by the deaf person, the interpreter, or a law enforcement official, another interpreter must be secured who is qualified to interpret for that individual. The Analysis specifically places the responsibility on the recipient agency to ascertain the type of sign language with which the deaf individual feels most comfortable, and then to secure an interpreter who is competent in that language.

The obligations of the law enforcement agency to deaf or hard of hearing persons who have been arrested or held for questioning are founded in Constitutional as well as statutory law. Courts have suppressed evidence obtained from a deaf defendant where it was found that the Constitutional Rights warning was not adequately communicated to the defendant. State of Maryland v. Barker, Crim. No's. 17,995 and 19,518 (Md. Cir. Ct. Dec. 8, 1977); State of Oregon v. Mason, 633 P.2d 820 (Or. Cir. Ct. 1981). In both of the above cases, the warnings were conveyed in sign language, but were not broken down to the defendant's language level. Securing of an interpreter with an RID Legal Skills Certificate for a timely interpretation of the rights, accompanied with careful explanation and breakdown of every legal term and sign, is one way a law enforcement agency may prevent objections to the adequacy of this communication, as well as comply with the legal requirements of Section 504. Presentation of a printed Advice of Rights form without an interpreter will seldom, if ever, be sufficient.

Questioning of deaf persons should also take place only with an interpreter present in order to comply with Section 504 and to achieve reliable communication. Many law enforcement agencies videotape all communications with deaf defendants in order to be able to substantiate the effectiveness of the communication and the quality of the interpretation.

All deaf persons must be informed of the law enforcement agency's obligation to have a free, qualified interpreter present during all communications. This can usually be achieved, as the Analysis suggests, by use of a printed card before the arrival of the interpreter. However, the agency must be aware of the fact that some deaf persons have very limited English language skills, and will require an interpreter to ensure comprehension of even this message.

THE REQUIREMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATION DEVICES FOR THE DEAF (TDDs OR TTYs)

The Section 504 Regulations of each of the federal agencies regularly funding police departments require the installation of telecommunication devices for deaf and hard of hearing persons in offices having telephone contact with the public, such as police departments. The United States Department of Justice Section 504 Regulations require that recipients shall provide ability to use the recipients’ services would otherwise by impaired. 28 C.F.R. 42.503(f). In the Analysis of these Regulations, the Department of Justice notes that:

Law enforcement agencies are also required to install TTYs or equivalent mechanisms…to enable persons with hearing and speaking impairments to communicate effectively with such agencies. 45 Fed. Reg. 37630.

DOT and HHS also require telecommunication devices for deaf and hard of hearing individuals in all federally assisted agencies to which the public has telephonic access. Nowhere is this access more important than in police departments.

The installation of a telecommunication device at a police station can help to protect the lives and property of the deaf and hard of hearing citizens of a community. Moreover, the general public is also benefited by the ability of an additional segment of the local population to make police reports by telephone. Many municipalities across the country have already installed telecommunication devices.

THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT

As of January 26, 1992, all state and local police departments, regardless of receipt of federal funds, are prohibited from discrimination based on disability. This new federal mandate is found in Title II of the new Americans with Disabilities Act, 42 U.S.C. §§12131-12134. The U.S. Department of Justice has issued regulations explaining the requirements of that Act, 28 C.F.R. Part 35, 56 Fed. Reg. 35694 (July 26, 1991) (U.S. Department of Justice Final Rule: Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability in State and Local Government Services).

Under the ADA and its regulation, it is clear that local and state law enforcement agencies are required to provide qualified sign language interpreters, and other auxiliary aids to ensure effective communication with deaf and hard of hearing individuals. 28 C.F.R. §35.160. Deference must be given to the deaf or hard of hearing individual’s choice of what auxiliary aid he or she needs. 28 C.F.R. §28 C.F.R. §35.160(b)(2).

The ADA, and Title II regulation, also place an explicit obligation on public entities which provide emergency telephone service:

Telephone emergency services, including 911 services, shall provide direct access to individuals who use TDDs and computer modems.

28 C.F.r. §35.162.

The analysis to this regulation clarifies that the term "direct access" means that "[t]elephone emergency access through a third party or through a relay service would not satisfy the requirement for direct access." 56 Fed. Reg. 35694 (July 26, 1991) (U.S. Department of Justice Final Rule: Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability in State and Local Government Services), at 35712. The analysis goes on to explain:

The requirement for direct access disallows the use of a separate seven-digit number 911 service is available. Separate seven-digit emergency call numbers would be unfamiliar to many individuals and also more burdensome to use. A standard emergency 911 number is easier to remember and would save valuable time spent in searching in telephone books for a local seven-digit emergency number.

56 Fed. Reg. 35713.

Where a TTY is required under the ADA, there is a corresponding requirement that it be maintained in operable working condition. 28 C.F.R. §35.133.

¹ American Sign Language (ASL), as opposed to Signed English, is a language completely distinct from English, and is the native language of most deaf Americans. Signed English is a rendering of ASL signs into English word order and grammar. A deaf person who uses ASL will most likely be unable to communicate fully or successfully in written or Signed English. Many interpreters are competent only in Signed English.