Interpretation Lawsuit In New York

5 Hispanic women have filed a federal lawsuit against the NYPD after reporting cases of abuse only to be refused proper translation services. 

The women, led by Wendy Garcia, are seeking an undisclosed amount of money based on charges "that the police refused access to an interpreter to people with limited English, contrary to city policies that say officers must offer linguistic assistance to those who need it. The suit also argues that the police 'degrades, ridicules and otherwise mistreats limited-English-proficient individuals who request interpreter services, actively demeaning them for their lack of English proficiency.'"

In Garcia's case, she called 911 after being shoved and having a door slammed on her by her boyfriend.  The police arrived but did not provide a Spanish interpreter for Garcia to tell her side of the story.  Her boyfriend, who was able to speak English, informed the police what was going on from his point of view which resulted in a near arrest of Garcia.

The NYPD responded to the lawsuit by identifying their "thousands of Spanish-speaking police officers" and a "volunteer  translator program [who] assist the public and police in investigations and for other needs."  Paul Brown, the chief spokesman for the NYPD also stated that the department has more than 1,400 volunteers that speak a total of 64 languages.

The five women also accuse the NYPD of mocking them and in certain cases, only speaking to the man's version of events because he could speak English. 

2 of the women, Arlet Macareno and Yanahit Padilla, were arrested after they called the police although Macareno claims her husband pushed her down a flight of stairs and Padilla claims her boyfriend beat her.

The plaintiffs in the case are supported by Legal Services NYC and The Violence Intervention Program.  According to the lawsuit, almost 25 percent of New York City residents over the age of five have limited English proficiency.

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