Many officers add Spanish to training

NIXA, Mo. -- If you're going to serve the public, it helps to speak the public's language. And in the Ozarks, that language increasingly is Spanish -- as many law officers have learned.

Soon, many southwest Missouri officers will also be learning Spanish, through courses tailored for law enforcement by two colleges, one based in Springfield and the other in Columbia.

Ozarks Technical Community College will add Spanish classes next summer geared to criminal justice majors and those already serving in law enforcement.

Columbia College, which also offers degrees in criminal justice, will hold Spanish classes starting in January at the Nixa Police Department for police officers only.

Both courses will concentrate on how to greet Spanish-speaking people, give commands and obtain medical information during emergencies.

Frederick Goman, a federal probation officer in Springfield, already teaches Spanish at Ozarks Technical and will teach the Columbia College course in Nixa.

"It's just a kind of training you can't get in a normal university-level intro Spanish course," Goman said.

Hispanic population tripled

Across the region, law enforcement officials say the courses will give them an edge in an area where the Hispanic population nearly tripled over the last 10 years. According to the 2000 census, the increase in the Hispanic population rose from 7,579 in 1990 to 22,058 last year in southwest Missouri.

Many are recent arrivals from Mexico and other Latin American nations, with little or no knowledge of English and few tools to navigate the law-enforcement system.

"Many immigrants have just gotten here from countries where soldiers with machine guns walk the streets," said Gloria Morales Hurd of St. James Episcopal Church in Springfield. "They just don't trust police."

Some come from places much closer, but haven't mastered English.

"Many come from communities where you can survive with Spanish only," said Yolanda Lorge of Grupo Latinoamericano. "In many communities in places like Texas or California, you can get by" without English.