Dallas Police Chief David Kunkle said this afternoon that his officers have written at least 39 citations to people over the past three years for not speaking English.

Apologizing publicly to the city's Spanish-speaking community, the chief said all officers and supervisors involved will be investigated for dereliction of duty. All pending citations will be dismissed, and people who paid fines will be reimbursed.

I was stunned that this would happen," Kunkle said at a news conference.

The police chief added: "In my world, you would never tell someone not to speak Spanish."

The bogus citations – there is no law requiring Dallas residents to speak English – came to light after it was revealed that a rookie officer, Gary Bromley, had issued a citation on Oct. 2 to Ernestina Mondragon for being a non-English-speaking driver.

Bromley had stopped the 48-year-old woman for making an improper U-turn in the 500 block of Easton Road, near East Northwest Highway, according to the citation.

Police officials at first dismissed Bromley's action as the foolish error of an inexperienced cop.

"That's a charge that does not exist here in the city of Dallas," said Sgt. Warren Mitchell, a department spokesman.

"Although we believe it was a sincere mistake ... there's no excuse for it."

He said that charge and a charge of failure to present a driver's license were dropped.

In all, about Dallas police write about 400,000 citations a year, department officials said.

Bromley, 33, is a trainee officer in the Northeast Patrol division. His trainer on the date the ticket was issued was Senior Cpl. Daniel Larkin, 53, said Deputy Chief Tom Lawrence, Northeast Patrol commander.

Under the Dallas City Code, taxi drivers must be able to communicate in English. Mitchell said there is also a federal statute that says commercial drivers must speak English, but it would not have applied in this case.

Mondragon's daughter Brenda Mondragon said her mother was rushing to take her younger sister to school that day and did not see the "no U-turn" sign. Records show Ernestina Mondragon has a driver's license, but her daughter said she had forgotten it. She said her mother, a native Spanish speaker, speaks limited English.

"She was very mad; she was very upset," Mondragon said of her mother's reaction. "We ended up taking her to the [emergency room] because she was nervous; she was just stressing over the ticket."

Dallas police chief says officers have written dozens of tickets to people for not speaking English 2:46 PM CT | News for Dallas, Texas | Dallas Morning News | Latest News

Aren't the Dallas police great? Although, somewhat in their defense, I have have had to supervise people who would suddenly not understand English when asked to do work that they didn't want to. But their English got better when talking to others or on payday. So I truly believe it is possible that some people will"pretend" not to understand in the hopes that the cops will let them go. But the officers should know that this won't stand up in our liberal justice system. I am sure that they wrote the tickets out of frustration.

__________________


www.keepamericasafe.com

Success is getting what you want. Happiness is wanting what you get.

Only the weak suffer no criticism. Great men are not created by propoganda

Police officers are not allowed to be "frustrated" when dealing with the public. They have a huge responsibility and must be professional at all times. Issuing illegal citations should get these officers fired. It's their responsibility to uphold the law, not create it.

__________________

In Houston a police chief tried the logical method of having at least one officer be representative of the community the (usually 2 officers) team paroled. Including the gay district. It failed miserably as the bulk of the force absolutely threw a hissy. I always thought it was a great idea

In Dallas that scenario wouldn't have made it either.

Let me tell you about Texas prejudice. I'm not putting them down, it is based in historical fact.
They hate every body.
And yes there are exceptions to that statement.
I wondered why all the angst (when I lived there for 13 yrs) so I researched a little of their history.
Of course we know Texas did not let the slaves know they were emancipated and the blacks there even have a special holiday to celebrate their final notification. That made things start out bad for the white/black relations.
Then Spanish people fought on the American side in many wars including the Alamo. The fight from a citizen/farmer's stand point was freedom not only from Spain but from Mexican aggression. Jackson sent agitators to stir up these feelings and end in the battle of San Jacincto.
The war was about the border at Nuecas River. But taking their victory further, the Americans also claimed that land between that River and the Rio Grand as theirs also.
Then you have WWII. Germans and Czechoslovakians, and others who did not like each other in the old country made their way to Texas' big spaces and lo and behold! There neighbor was an old enemy (culturally). Many older Texans can remember a time Check was only spoken at home for fear of repercussions.
That is not to mention the cut throats who came via Arkansas to prey on travelers. The laws before statehood that you had to be Catholic to own land started a mission mindset of the Methodist Church to turn all those "lost" back to the true faith...

The cotton boom went bust and left a huge black population adrift and looking for work in places like Houston. This set whites against them when there was a recession.
Oil! Well the prostitutes were already there from the cattle industry heyday. But more moved in to accommodate the workers. From these husky folks and others you have today's Texan.

__________________

Everyone can get frustrated sometimes but how does a police force get away with writing tickets for not speaking a language?! Is there even a violation number on the ticket?! That's insane.

hey salty, throwing a hissy, is that even politically correct?

__________________
The spirit of resistance to government is so valuable on certain occasions, that I wish it always to be kept alive.
Thomas Jefferson

A GOVERNMENT BIG ENOUGH TO GIVE YOU EVERYTHING YOU WANT, IS BIG ENOUGH TO TAKE AWAY EVERYTHING YOU HAVE Thomas Jefferson

To compel a man to subsidize with his taxes the propagation of ideas which he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical. Thomas Jefferson

VIVE LIBERTE'

There is supposedely a violation for this, but it is supposed to be used for commercial drivers who are required to understan English to operate a vehicle.

__________________


www.keepamericasafe.com

Success is getting what you want. Happiness is wanting what you get.

Only the weak suffer no criticism. Great men are not created by propoganda

And why is it a person can become an American and yet not speak the language, as required (maybe a while ago) to take the oath???

Liberal stupity is the answer...

__________________
All I have seen teaches me to trust the Creator for all I have not seen.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Integrity without knowledge is weak and useless, and knowledge without integrity is dangerous and dreadful. - Samuel Johnson.. (1709 - 1784) Faith is what mine is built upon..

"We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them." - Albert Einstein (1879 - 1955)

Legally, the US doesn't have an official language. Because of this it's a bit difficult to enforce English-only laws. It's not liberal stupidity, it's stupidity.

__________________

Seeing the Liberals are the ones blocking every chance to reform our immigration and control the boarders I still say Liberal stupity. Dress it up all you want. But the numbers for both issues I brought up above are strong for dealing with it. And nmot in the Liberal way...
But after HC I'm sure we will get the Liberal Amnesty Plan to debate again.

And the fact is I am to old to learn a new language, as are many citizens many who did learn to speak English.

While most of the immigrants are young enough to learn English but don't care to. Which is a slap in the face to most citizens.

So get your side to teach them English and I will conside Amnesty. I know I have relented a while ago but after seeing the damage done by gangs, going into Malls, etc. and hearing another language used in public places and having to push # 1 for English I have changed my mind.

__________________
All I have seen teaches me to trust the Creator for all I have not seen.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Integrity without knowledge is weak and useless, and knowledge without integrity is dangerous and dreadful. - Samuel Johnson.. (1709 - 1784) Faith is what mine is built upon..

"We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them." - Albert Einstein (1879 - 1955)

__________________