App Review: Spanish for Police

Spanish is now the second most common language in the U.S. after English, with an estimated 35 million people now speaking it as the primary language at home.

Anyone in law enforcement knows the importance of communication on patrol. When there's a language barrier, getting the job done gets that much more complicated.

As a result, it has become important for police agencies to recruit officers who can speak Spanish in the course of their police work. What about officers who can't speak Spanish? The Spanish for Police app from Exact Magic Software gives those officers the ability to communicate with Spanish-speaking citizens.

This app, which currently is only available for Apple devices, provides more than 200 simple Spanish commands and questions with written and audio translations. The words and phrases are organized in basic law enforcement categories such as Officer Safety, Arrests; Searching Suspects; Miranda Warning; DUI/HGN and others.

Phrases in the Officer Safety category include "Hands out of pockets," "Do not resist," and "Drop it."

The app provides a lot of value for its $2.99 price tag. Without a doubt, it's a must have for any field officer.