From online Spanish courses in Illinois to mandatory classroom sessions in Alabama, Mississippi, Texas, and California, police officers and firefighters in largely Spanish speaking areas are learning the second most widely spoken language in the US. Controversy arose when last month the Jackson Mississippi Police Department announced mandatory Spanish language classes four times a year as a condition of employment. Police Chief Lee Vance told Fox News Latino, “The purpose of this program is for our officers to learn basic commands. We’re not looking to make anybody fluent.”
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