Article: Deaf Officers Step in Where Police Work Counts on Eyes More Than Ears

By Randal C. Archibold
Published in the New York Times on December 18, 2012

Deaf officers keep watch of crime in Oaxaca.

OAXACA, Mexico — When the police officer spotted the man acting suspiciously, pacing erratically with an odd look on his face, he immediately called for backup. That is, he spun around in his chair at the police command center here and rapidly motioned to a colleague in sign language.

The officer, Gerardo, 32, is part of a cadre of 20 deaf officers formed several months ago to help keep an eye on this tourist hub. The suspicious man that he spotted on a security camera turned out to be a prime suspect in a murder. Officials here concede that getting units quickly to the scene is only part of the struggle. Crime victims often decide not to file complaints, lacking faith in the justice system.

Though Oaxaca is not known for high crime, tourists can be targets for purse-snatchers and pickpockets, and the more working-class neighborhoods have their share of drug dealing, auto thefts, fights and violent crime.

The state refurbished its police command center this year, but found it needed extra help monitoring the 230 cameras, a time-consuming, monotonous task. There was another problem: because the images lack sound, officers had trouble determining what people were saying.

He said their heightened visual attention had enabled the deaf officers to see trouble developing on the screens faster than other officers who can hear and speak but are frequently distracted by the buzzing of phones, police scanners and chatter in the command center.

Mr. Villalobos said the deaf officers — “our silent angels,” he called them — had helped solve or assisted in several cases, though he declined to provide specific data, pending a future evaluation of the program. He called the murder case, from last summer, the biggest success. Read full article here.