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Extracted from Consolidated Report

This investigation was originally published as part of a larger consolidated report containing multiple investigations. View the consolidated PDF for the complete document.

San Mateo County Grand Jury • 2016-2017

Grand Jury Report - "English Is Not Our Only Language: Are Local Law

Published: June 29, 2017 33 pages
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Findings 12 findings

F1 Page 78
Approximately 130,019 (17.8%) of the residents of San Mateo County self-report that they do not speak English "very well. "
F2 Page 78
The 17 law enforcement agencies in San Mateo County provide an impressive 170+ outreach programs. The respondent neither agrees nor disagrees with this finding.
F3 Page 78
The following nine cities' police departments' websites provide access to multiple languages: • Daly City • East Palo Alto • Hillsborough • Menlo Park • Pacifica • Redwood City • San Bruno • South San Francisco • City of San Mateo The respondent agrees that the City of San Mateo Police Department's website provides access to multiple languages.
F4 Page 79
The following four cities' police departments' websites have no mention of outreach programs on their websites: • Atherton • Brisbane • Colma • Hillsborough The respondent neither agrees nor disagrees with this finding, FS All seven of the law enforcement agencies listed below consider the language needs of the attendees when planning community outreach events: • Daly City Police Department • East Palo Alto Police Department • Redwood City Police Department • San BfW10 Police Department • City of San Mateo Police Department • South San Francisco Police Department • San Mateo County Sheriffs Office The respondent agrees that the City of San Mateo Police Department considers the language needs of the attendees when planning community outreach events.
F5 Page 79
All seven of the law enforcement agencies listed below consider the language needs of the attendees when planning community outreach events: Daly City Police Department, EastPaloAlto Police Department, RedwoodCity Police Department, San Bruno Police Department, City of San Mateo Police Department, South San Francisco Police Department, and the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office.
F6 Page 79
All seven of the law enforcement agencies listed below provide an opportunity for one-on one interaction with a police offer or a Q&A session with an interpreter on site: • Daly City Police Department • East Palo Alto Police Department • Redwood City Police Department • San BfW10 Police Department • City of San Mateo Police Department • South San Francisco Police Department • San Mateo COW1ty Sheriffs Office The respondent agrees that the City of San Mateo Police Department provides an opportunity for one-on one interaction with a police offer or a Q&A session with an interpreter on site.
F7 Page 79
Of the seven law enforcement agencies listed in F6, six provide publication information in more than English: • Daly City Police Department • East Palo Alto Police Department • Redwood City Police Department • City of San Mateo Police Department • South San Francisco Police Department • San Mateo COW1ty Sheriffs Office The respondent agrees that the City of San Mateo Police Department provides publication information in more than English.
F8 Page 80
Of the seven law enforcement agencies listed in F6, five sponsor specific outreach events for non-English speaking residents: • East Palo Alto Police Department • Redwood City Police Department • City of San Mateo Police Department • South San Francisco Police Department • San Mateo County Sheriffs Office The respondent agrees that the City of San Mateo Police Department sponsors specific outreach events for non-English speaking residents.
F9 Page 80
Of the seven law enforcement agencies listed in F6, six work with other police agencies to reach non-English speaking residents for outreach events: • East Palo Alto Police Department • Redwood City Police Department • San Bruno Police Department • City of San Mateo Police Department • South San Francisco Police Department • San Mateo County Sheriffs Office The respondent agrees that the City of San Mateo Police Department works with other police agencies to reach non-English speaking residents for outreach events FlO Ofthe seven law enforcement agencies listed in F6, six provide outreach materials in languages other than English: • Daly City Police Department • East Palo Alto Police Department • Redwood City Police Department • San Bruno Police Department • South San Francisco Police Department • San Mateo County Sheriffs Office The respondent wholly disagrees with this finding. The San Mateo Police Department provides numerous outreach materials in languages other than English. We have had materials related to crime prevention and safety tips available on our website in Spanish for many years including information on how to report a crime; how to protect oneself against identity theft; what to do if you are receiving harassing phone calls; information regarding hit-and-run accidents; and answers to frequently asked questions. In addition, we provide various pamphlets and literature translated in Spanish, Tongan, and various dialects of Chinese, including information on how community members can connect with the Police Department via various forms of social media. Fll Of the seven law enforcement agencies listed in F6, six provide on-site interpreters for outreach programs: • East Palo Alto Police Department • Redwood City Police Department • San Bruno Police Department • City of San Mateo Police Department • South San Francisco Police Department • San Mateo County Sheriffs Office The respondent agrees that the City of San Mateo Police Department provides on­ site interpreters for outreach programs. Response to Grand Jury Recommendations: Rl All law enforcement agencies in San Mateo County shall modify their websites by including multilingual translation capability to potentially increase access and participation in outreach programs by non-English speaking residents by December 31, 2017. This recommendation has already been implemented. In a process unrelated to the Grand Jury report, the City of San Mateo has been working over the past year towards launching a newly re-designed website. The new site went live on July 10,2017, and includes a Google translate bar which provides multilingual translation capability on every page within the City's site, including all pages with content related to law enforcement and the Police Department.
F10 Page 84
Of the seven law enforcement agencies listed in Finding 6, six provide outreach materials 'in languages other than English: Daly City Police Department, East Palo Alto Police Department, Redwood City Police Department, San Bruno Police Department, South San Francisco Police Department, and the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office.
F11 Page 84
Of the seven law enforcement agencies listed in Finding 6, six provide on-site interpreters for outreach programs: East Palo Alto Police Department, Redwood City Police Department, San Bruno Police Department, City of San Mateo Police Department, South San Francisco Police Department, and the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office.
F12 Page 84
By acting now, San Mateo County may be able to reduce future costs by integrating sea level rise related projects with other programmed levee projects, and by using land use planning measures to mitigate future exposure to sea level rise. Response: Based on the information provided in the Grand Jury Report, the Town agrees with these findings .

Recommendations 2