#1 ?

[Swimmer]

is that people who get into trouble learn to use the language barrier to thier advantage. When they get to court they'll tell whoever listens they did not understand anything the officer said, but in the corridor they'll talk to thier attorney in english no problem. At work we go out of our way to get portugese and spanish speaking interpreters into the station to help out. We have several in twon that volunteer thier time, which is nice.

I am not being impatient. As far as spanish or portugese speaking person they all know some english. But some people just don't bother. I have numerous spanish courses and can ask most of the questions I need to have answered in spanish. Its a riot when after 10 or 20 minutes in the station with a person who is under arrest and talking spanish on the phone learns I speak spanish a little when I start asking him the booking questions. They generally start speaking english to you then. The guy I dealt with driving the truck this afternoon has been here three years. His wife has been here the same. She is licensed, he isn't. I just ticketed him and had her drive saving them the tow. When he found out I was going to go easy on him he opened right up.

When you are driving a vehicle that you have to have a CDL, commercial driver's license, it is the law that you must speak english, or you can be arrested. That includes, driving small buses that you need a class c license for that seat 16 or more people including the driver, a class B license for driving a truck over 26,000 pounds GVWR, or a class A license license. That has been the law since 1983. Only have run into one person who didn't speak english. Driving a TT from Mexico to Boston, loaded with NAFTA tv's.

Dadfisherman, I don't want you to think I don't have any patience, I do and exhibit it every day on the job and in private. But I firmly believe that once you made the decision to live here you should completely join the party.