Tulsa police are calling it “Survival Spanish.” In the first cadet class, rookies are required to learn 26 phrases in Spanish in 26 weeks.
Police say the goal is to break the language barriers and communicate critical information quickly.
In May, two Hispanics were gunned down in the Coppermill Apartments. The only witnesses couldn’t speak English so police had to wait for a translator while the suspect was on the run.
In their 26-week program, cadets so far have learned eight phrases.
Instructor and officer Jesse Guardiola tells Fox 23’s Abbie Alford one of the phrases cadets have leaned, “Manos Arriba” translated in English that means the suspect needs to “Put Their Hands Up.”
East Tulsa waitress Elena Yanez says she knows all about the safety of being bilingual. Elena says she witnessed a shooting down the street from her restaurant and had to translate for police.
"If we weren't there somebody else may have been shot and they probably wouldn't know what to do," says Yanez.
Officer Guardiola tells his cadets learning survival Spanish is more than just learning the basics especially in violent crimes.
"It's going to happen cadets. It's just a matter of time before you run into somebody that doesn't speak English. Hopefully it's not a high risk situation."
But those high risk situations like murders and robberies do happen that’s why cadet Kyle Beck says knowing how to speak Spanish is a survival tool.
“It's a safety feature. We will be able to communicate and help our community quicker as well as our safety," says Beck.
Beck’s classmate, Jackie Keller hopes her Spanish speaking skills will help her bridge the gap between law enforcement and the Hispanic community.
"Hispanics are more likely to talk to us and when people are wanting to talk to police then we're solving more crimes," says Keller.
Elena Yanez says what cadets are doing now makes her feel more comfortable.
"In case of an emergency they'll know what's going and it might help out a little more," says Yanez.
Guardiola says he hopes the academy will soon offer a Spanish course as an elective for all officers including veteran police.
The 2000 Census showed that more than 30,000 Hispanics live in Tulsa. Many speak Spanish and English.
Hispanics make up about seven percent of Oklahoma’s population.
