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Using Interpreters: Making the Sheriff's Office Services More Accessible

March 20, 2023

It is critical that people who live, work, and drive through King County have access to law enforcement services. Locally, 1 in 10 residents, have limited English proficiency (LEP) and roughly, 2.7% of county residents have a hearing difficulty. Therefore, OLEO recommends that the Sheriff's Office requires that interpretation services are provided whenever needed, develops policies to clarify rules and regulations on interpreters, and improves documentation of interpreter use. 

OLEO completed this policy review in response to Internal Investigation IIU2022-175, and reviewed the Sheriff's Office General Orders Manual (GOM) 16.04.000 on Using Interpreters. Prior to OLEO's review, GOM 16.04.000 addressed some requirements for when and how interpreters were used, but they largely applied to sign language interpretation for hearing-impaired individuals and did not adequately address protocols for interactions with limited-English proficiency (LEP) individuals. 

For clarity and consistency, the Sheriff's Office should develop and adopt a robust language-access policy in line with federal guidelines. This memo outlines recommendations to revise Sheriff's Office policy in Chapters 16 and 6 of the GOM to improve language access for LEP individuals. 

Report Highlights

Recommendations

  1. Stipulate that interpretation services be provided during any law enforcement activity with a hearing-impaired or LEP individual.  
  2. Clarify that interpreters shall be called for law enforcement activities regardless of the individual's status as a victim, witness, or suspect. 
  3. Codify additional interpreter services for LEP individuals beyond the AT&T Language line.  
  4. Expand prohibitions on who should not be an interpreter and extend to law enforcement activities with LEP individuals. 
  5. Add policy and procedure for identifying an individual's primary language. 
  6. Add language on the use of alternative auxiliary aids and teletypewriters. 
  7. Institute additional reporting requirements to document hearing impairment or language barriers. 
  8. Amend issuance of warnings prior to use of force to instruct deputies to consider the possibility of a hearing impairment or language barrier that may challenge comprehension or compliance. 
  9. Require reporting of the presence of the listed characteristics and conditions and the impact on critical decision-making regarding use of force. 

Recommendation Status  

Last updated November 20, 2025 

In February 2024, the Sheriff's Office announced a settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) regarding language access deficiencies in Sheriff's Office policies and procedures. This came nearly a year after OLEO's initial recommendations on using interpreters and improving language access in Sheriff's Office services. Prior to the agreement with the DOJ, the Sheriff's Office had made no response and taken no action to address OLEO's recommendations. 

Currently, of the nine recommendations: 

ADOPTED: 3 

Recommendations 1, 2, and 5 have been fully implemented. OLEO will no longer monitor. 

PARTIALLY ADOPTED: 3 

Recommendations 3, 4, and 7 are in progress or partially implemented. OLEO will continue to monitor. 

NOT ADOPTED: 3 

Recommendations 6, 8, and 9 remain unresolved. OLEO will continue to monitor. 

CLOSED: 0 

Recommendation is no longer applicable. OLEO will no longer monitor. 
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