Sonoma County has a language access policy. It has a plan. It has forms. It has a bilingual testing process.

What it doesn’t appear to have — at least publicly — is a clear answer to a simple question:

How many bilingual deputies are actually on duty when you call 911?

Spanish is the most common non-English language in Sonoma County. Roughly one in 10 residents speaks Spanish at home. In some communities, that number is far higher. In an emergency, or during a traffic stop, or in a jail booking, communication isn’t a courtesy. It’s safety.

In 2024, the Board of Supervisors adopted a formal countywide language access policy. The document commits departments to meaningful access for residents who prefer to communicate in languages other than English. It outlines procedures for translation, interpretation and accountability. It’s thoughtful. It’s overdue. It’s real.

The county also runs a bilingual proficiency process through Human Resources. Employees can be tested and certified to use Spanish (or other languages) in their official duties. There are pay differentials for certain designated positions.

On paper, the framework is there.

But when asked how many deputies in the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office are currently certified bilingual in Spanish — and how that breaks down across patrol shifts and jail assignments — there isn’t a publicly available number.

The Sheriff’s Office employs more than 650 staff across the county. Patrol alone covers vast rural areas, small cities and unincorporated communities from Sonoma Valley to the coast to Cloverdale. Yet the agency does not publish how many sworn deputies are Spanish-certified, how many are on duty per shift, or whether bilingual coverage is guaranteed 24/7.

That matters.

Because in real life, language access often depends on who happens to be working that day.

At recent meetings of the county’s Independent Office of Law Enforcement Review and Outreach (IOLERO) Community Advisory Council, language came up again. The community-oriented policing report released in December noted modest but persistent differences in how Spanish-speaking residents report their interactions with deputies compared to English speakers.

The recommendation was straightforward: continue hiring Spanish-speaking deputies and consider training models used elsewhere to improve communication in communities where residents are hesitant to engage law enforcement.

During public comment, one longtime county observer raised a blunt point: labeling someone “bilingual” on paper doesn’t mean they can effectively navigate a high-stress encounter in Spanish.

Anyone who has worked in public systems knows the difference between conversational fluency and field-ready proficiency. Explaining rights. De-escalating a volatile situation. Conducting a jail medical intake. Taking a complaint. Those require precision.

The Sheriff’s Office does use body-worn cameras, written reports and other documentation to review incidents. Telephonic interpretation services are also available countywide. But again, the key question is consistency. Is interpretation immediate? Is it routinely used? Is it tracked?

Language access isn’t just about patrol, either. It’s about 911 dispatch. It’s about jail bookings. It’s about medical screening. It’s about how someone files a complaint with IOLERO. It’s about whether a family member can understand what’s happening when a loved one is in custody.

The county has taken real steps. The language access policy was not symbolic. It came after community engagement and workshops. It created a coordinator role. It requires departments to track and improve.

That’s good.

But trust doesn’t come from policy PDFs. It comes from experience.

If you are pulled over in Roseland at 10 p.m., will the deputy be able to explain what’s happening in Spanish? If you are a Spanish-speaking farmworker calling 911 in an emergency, will dispatch understand you immediately? If your parent is booked into jail, will medical instructions be delivered in a language they fully comprehend?

Those aren’t theoretical questions in Sonoma County. They’re daily realities.

The county deserves credit for building the framework. Now it needs to show the numbers — and the deployment — behind it.

Because in a crisis, “we have a policy” isn’t the same thing as “we understand you.”