Impaired Driving within the Latino Community

1
Impaired Driving within the Latino Community

• Countermeasures and Effective Strategies
• Lt. Martin E. Moreno (retired)
• Arizona Governors Office of Highway Safety

2
Growing Latino Population

• 1990-2000 grew 57.9
• Growing 7 times faster than U.S. population
  migration high birthrate
• Presently 13.3 of entire U.S. population
• By 2050 projected to be 22 of population

3
Latino Population

• 2125 will outpace U.S. Anglo population
• Tucson Border Patrol Sector averages
  380,000-400,000 arrests annually
• Border Patrol union president estimates arrest 1
  out of 3 undocumented migrants

4
Critical Risk Group

• Majority migrating young adult males fall into
  critical risk group
• One third under 18
• Overwhelmingly monolingual Spanish speakers
• Most never owned vehicle but purchase first car
  in U.S.

5
1980-2000

• Phoenix 261
• Nashville 630
• Las Vegas 753
• Atlanta 995
• Raleigh, N.C. 1180
• Cicero, Illinois 78

6
Latinos Traffic Safety

• MVCs leading cause of death Latino males 1-44
• Latino children 5-12 72 more likely to die in
  MVC than non-Latino children
• U.S. born Latinos 3 times more likely to drink
  and drive than Latinos born in other countries
  but living in U.S.

7
Challenges

• Concept of impairment vs. impairment to slightest
  degree
• Unfamiliarity with impaired driving and
  consequences
• Machismo
• Lack of knowledge of U.S. traffic laws
• Latin-American courts vs. U.S. courts

8
Challenges

• Monolingual Spanish speakers combined with
  national shortage of bi-lingual officers
• Spanish surnamed officers with poor or no Spanish
  language abilities
• Law enforcement vocabulary

9
Challenges

• Inaccurate or improper translations
• Spanglish
• Paraphrasing during interpretations
• No hablo ingles
• Failure to investigate/arrest how it empowers

10
Law Enforcement Challenges

• Officers cannot recall or testify to exact
  verbiage used during administration of SFSTs
• Paraphrasing SFSTs
• Unofficial translations
• Translating implied consent or not advising at
  all

11
Law Enforcement Challenges

• Departments not providing translated reports
• Using language lines or police personnel with
  poor language abilities to assist during DUI
  investigations
• Failing to arrest empowers Latino population

12
Arizonas Response

• Deliver Spanish language training program for law
  enforcement officers throughout state
• Program consists of two separate classes
• 40-hour course and 100-hour course
• Both AZPOST approved

13
40-Hour Course

• Developed specifically for law enforcement/public
  safety
• Castilian Spanish
• Delivered throughout the state over 5-days
• Pay each students tuition and course materials

14
40-Hour Curriculum

• Latino culture
• Basic investigations
• Gathering information
• Traffic stops
• DUI investigations including administering SFSTs

15
40-Hour Curriculum

• Danger Gang expressions
• Arrest phrases
• High risk stops
• Weapons and drug terminology including slang
  terms
• Limited grammar instruction

16
100-Hour Course

• 10 consecutive days including weekend
• Requires every student to reside at the training
  facility
• Morning of third day Spanish only rule
• Pay each students lodging, meals, tuition and
  course materials

17
100-Hour Course

• Extension of five day course
• Equal to 2-2 ½ years of college level Spanish
• Adult education methodologies to deliver course
  material
• Create Spanish learning environment

18
100-Hour Course

• Accelerates comprehension and absorption of
  Spanish language
• Students dreaming and talking in their sleep in
  Spanish
• Conversion of thinking patterns
• Encounter difficulty returning to English

19
Curriculum

• Drill groups
• Master classes
• Hands on exercises
• Role play situations
• Expands students knowledge of Spanish grammar
  and language

20
Results

• Complete basic investigation
• Traffic/DUI investigation
• Gather information
• Understand approximately 70 of what is said in
  Spanish
• Lack of knowledge of verbs
• Student feedback

21
Arizonas Response

• Pasa Las Llaves/Pass the Keys Program
• NHTSA project in Arizona and North Carolina
• 30 month grant project
• Combined education, data collection, media
  outreach and enforcement

22
Pasa Las LlavesEnforcement

• DUI Warrant Sweeps
• Officers on overtime proactively searched for
  drivers with outstanding DUI warrants
• August 2006-March 2007
• 438 wanted DUI suspects arrested for failure to
  appear on original charge of impaired driving

23
Pasa Las Llaves

• Targeted enforcement campaign in areas with high
  rates of DUI crashes, injuries and prior DUI
  arrests
• Enforcement based on prior Tucson Police
  Department initiative
• 157 decrease DUI/Fatal crashes
• Latest statistics 10 reduction statewide DUI
  related fatal/injury crashes

24
Contact Information

• Martín E. Moreno
• Arizona Governors Office of Highway Safety
  Tucson office
• mmoreno_at_azgohs.gov
• [phone] office
• [phone] cellular