CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Making sure 911 calls go smoothly is of the utmost importance for local police departments across the country,
Being bilingual is a big plus for police departments in the Coastal Bend area.
According to the Aransas Pass police chief, it is great to have bilingual dispatchers but it is also difficult to get applicants in general.
"We don't have the level of applicants that we typically see 10 to 15 years ago for public safety, to just, in general, get applicants for police," Blanchard said.
The process itself is difficult, Blanchard says that after the applicant applies they must also pass a background check before they are actually hired.
Lydia Erwin, the Communications Supervisor with the Ingleside Police Department, said that the Language Line, a barrier used for dispatchers who don't know another language is of great help.
"Sometimes it's languages you don't even think of, I had a call one time from a lady who was from Africa and she spoke Yoruba, I had never heard of never heard of that language, I called Language Line and they were able to communicate with her, she was very sick."
She said.
Blanchard and Erwin both said that they are hiring and looking for those interested and that qualify.
If you apply with Aransas Pass PD, Blanchard said that those who are bilingual will receive an incentive.
