By Christina M. Woods, The Wichita Eagle (Wichita, Kansas)
Wichita police Officer Charley Davidson often lets his fingers do the talking when fighting crime.
Just 23, Davidson is the only officer in the department who is certified to interpret sign language.
“I think it’s a great tool for me to have to be able to communicate with the deaf part of the community,” said Davidson, who learned to sign as a child because his mother is deaf.
Now the Police Department is working to provide Davidson some backup. The department is looking for volunteers who are fluent in sign language.
The department issued a call in September for volunteers who speak a foreign language. About 25 people responded, but none of them know sign language.
For Joa-Nena Knotts and Shane Dundas, the department’s efforts are overdue.
Both are deaf and use American Sign Language, which was introduced in America during the 1800s. Based on the French language, ASL has its own vocabulary, syntax and sentence structure.
Knotts recalled a time when she was reaching for paper and a pen to communicate with an officer after being pulled over. She said the officer, unsure of what she was reaching for, pulled a gun on her.
“This makes deaf people frustrated,” Knotts said through interpreter Lori Lawrence. “How can they communicate?”
Dundas said he tries pointing to his ear or asking officers to come closer because he can read lips.
“Even though I’m more oral or I can speak, I still need officers to be able to write so there are no misunderstandings,” he said. “It’s a legal issue.”
Writing is not an option for all deaf people, they said.
“Some deaf people don’t have good writing skills,” Dundas said. “They don’t want to communicate with people that way because they are embarrassed.”
Some efforts are being made to easily identify deaf people.
For a small fee, people can request a white background in their driver’s license or identification photos that distinguishes them as deaf, said Lawrence, who also serves as a board member for the Wichita Association for the Deaf. Lawrence said that option has been available for about two years.
Lawrence said the Topeka-based Kansas Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing will ask the 2005 Legislature to approve reflective driver’s licenses that can attach to car visors and that would read: “I am deaf or hard of hearing.”
The commission already provides stickers for vehicles driven by deaf or hard of hearing people. The stickers help emergency responders identify them as having special communicative needs.
In the meantime, officers could use gestures or learn to sign words such as “driver’s license” or “ticket,” Dundas said.
Davidson, who uses ASL, said officers could use the signing alphabet to spell out words, but that takes longer.
On minor calls, Deputy Chief Tom Stolz said officers rely on family members.
Knotts said she is bothered that officers rely on family members during emotional situations.
“We stumble our way through,” Stolz said.
Not so for major investigations.
“We make sure we have good, non-biased interpreters there,” Stolz said, adding that the department often uses its own interpreters regardless of language.
Stolz said the department is working hard to recruit volunteers after seeing an increase in the number of people who are deaf or hard of hearing, especially in the city’s homeless population.
Lawrence estimated Wichita has between 400 and 500 deaf people.
“It’s very frustrating for people to sit with police or any kind of government authority and not be able to tell what’s going on,” Stolz said, adding that the department also needs volunteers who can speak Asian languages such as Vietnamese or Laotian.
Davidson, who became an officer in 2002, said he is surprised how much he uses sign language on the job. He said he is often called to other patrol stations to interpret, which he does to “make sure an accurate record is created to ensure justice.”
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED AS INTERPRETERS
What: The Wichita Police Department needs volunteers who are fluent in sign language or any foreign language. Police keep information about interpreters confidential.
For more information: Call Lt. Lori Marceau, 838-9611.
For a safety communication sticker: This helps law enforcement or emergency responders quickly identify drivers who are deaf or hard of hearing.