Communicators on Patrol is a volunteer program in the Houston Police Department to enhance and facilitate communication between police officers and non-English speaking community members. In this program, community members provide language assistance to police officers responding to various calls for service or conducting special events with the community.

Communicators would need to be fluent in English and one of the following languages:

Spanish

Vietnamese

Chinese

Arabic

Urdu/Hindi

Korean

As a volunteer Communicator you could serve to assist officers with communication during incidents involving the public by doing the following:

• Schedule and perform ride-alongs during the week or weekends with patrol officers

As a volunteer Communicator you could assist officers with community members during various police activities such as:

• Issuing a ticket/traffic citation
• Reporting a crime or suspicious activity
• Assisting victims of crime e.g. assaults, domestic abuse
• Vehicle crashes
• Driving While Intoxicated (DWI’s)
• Burglary of Motor Vehicles (BMV’s)
• Code One Calls (e.g. Burglary In Progress, Home Invasion)
• Participating town hall meetings and other community events

Benefits of being a part of the Volunteer “Communicators on Patrol” Program:

• Allow patrol bilingual police officers to stay in the call for service loop
• Represent a neutral party at the scene with an unbiased assessment of the scenario
• Facilitate communication during Police Department special events such as town hall meetings, safety fairs, and other special occasions

Expectations for Communicators:

• Submit and pass a criminal history check to include being fingerprinted
• Hours of Availability – Minimum 4 hours per volunteer shift
• Undergo training and successfully pass a language proficiency test
• Possibly testify in court
• • Sign waiver indemnifying the Houston Police Department in the event of an accident in transit to an on-call event

To qualify, Communicators must:

• Be at least 18 years of age
• Be a US citizen or legal permanent resident
• Be fluent in English and one or more designated languages

For more information about the “Communicators on Patrol” program please contact the Office of Community Affairs and request to speak to Officer Rafael Pantoja at 713-308-3200.