Bilingual officers ‘busier than ever’

The Hattiesburg American, 9/13/7

When Hattiesburg police officer Ashley Kubiak joined the force five years ago, he never expected that his minor studies in Spanish at the University of Southern Mississippi would become an essential part of his police duties.

But that’s exactly what has happened.

Now, instead of saying, “You’re under arrest,” he’s shouting, “Está arrestado,” to the rapidly growing proportion of Spanish-speaking immigrants in the Pine Belt.