Cops in Texas are landing in hot water, all because they’re enforcing the laws as they understand them.  When Ernestina Mondragon got pulled over, she received three tickets from Officer Gary Bromley.  One for not presenting her license, one for making an illegal U-turn, and one for being a non-English speaking driver.  It’s that last one that’s got everyone in an uproar.  Some are crying discrimination, some are accusing the police of malfeasance or institutional racism, and Dallas’ police chief, David Kunkle, has already apologized and promised a review of official policy.

However, you can be ticketed for being a non-English speaking driver in the United States.  It’s a federal statute.  While Dallas police claim not to enforce that particular law, it is on the books, and that is why it was available in the drop-down ticket menu in Dallas police computers.  The cops did wrongly apply the law, as it is for commercial vehicle drivers only, but it is on the books.  For the record, the only ticket remaining on her slate is the one for the U-turn after courts threw out the other two (she presented a license).

I can understand why people are complaining, but I can understand why the law is on the book.  Do you really want someone behind the wheel of a big rig who doesn’t understand road signs or those construction warning boards?  I sure wouldn’t; those things are bad enough when the driver speaks the language!

Tags: non-English-speaking drivers ticketed, Dallas, Texas, unusual laws, unusual crimes, English language, Ernestina Mondragon, David Kunkle, Gary Bromley

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