DENVER — Officers in the Denver Police Department violated the civil rights of people who do not speak English by failing to use appropriate translation services or by not using any translation services at all, a federal civil rights investigation found.
The investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice began in 2018 after Denver residents raised concerns about officers’ interactions people in the East Colfax neighborhood who speak Burmese and Rohingya. On several occasions, officers used children or other family members to help translate. Sometimes police did not use any interpreters.
“As a result of these practices, DPD officers arrested limited English proficiency individuals without informing them of the charges against them in a language they could understand; used minors to provide language assistance; and relied on unqualified individuals to provide language assistance on behalf of DPD officers,” according to the investigation.
