Interpreters to assist Central Washington town police

MATTAWA, Grant County — This Central Washington farm town has established a list of interpreters and guidelines for their use in assisting police under an agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice.

The agreement, announced this week, is the first of its kind in Washington, according to a statement by the federal agency. It resolves two complaints accusing the town and police of failing to provide access to interpreters for Spanish-speaking residents who were victims of domestic violence.

The 2000 census showed Mattawa's population at 2,609, nearly 90 percent Hispanic. The same tally also indicated that 83 percent of the Hispanic residents over age 18 speak English less than "very well."

Mattawa is about 140 miles southwest of Spokane.

The complaints were filed in 2005, and a resolution satisfactory to the feds took until recently to achieve, said Ed Allan, a lawyer who represents the town.

The town has established a list of interpreters that meet the demands of both sides, as well as parameters for when the interpreters will be summoned, Allan said.

"Sometimes you go to a domestic-violence situation and sometimes those are very volatile, and you have to consider the safety of the interpreter, too," he said, "so there are conditions written in to protect everybody."

The plan also requires translation into Spanish of vital municipal documents and establishment of an outreach program to ensure that people with limited English are covered by services and programs.

Under the agreement, the federal agency may monitor progress for two years.