DALLAS, Oct. 27 (UPI) -- Erroneous tickets for not speaking English have been handed out to drivers by at least 20 different Dallas police officers, officials say.
Dallas Police Chief David Kunkle announced Monday that an investigation of records showed 38 people had been cited since 2007 for being a "non-English-speaking driver," a federal charge meant to apply only to commercial drivers and not to private motorists, The Dallas Morning News reported.
The newspaper said the records showed that almost all of the motorists cited were Hispanic, while none of the officers who wrote the tickets were Hispanic. The 20 officers reportedly range from rookie to 13-year veteran, with some of them writing as many as five tickets for not speaking English.
Kunkle has apologized for the citations, saying the $204 fines will be refunded, while Hispanic leaders called for a comprehensive review for signs of possible racial profiling.
Senior Cpl. Glenn White, president of the Dallas Police Association, told the Morning News the tickets were the result of easily made errors on computer pull-down screens in squad cars and defended the officers, saying: "They've corrected the problem; they're going to make it go away or refund the money. It's done."
