Basic Signs for Law Enforcement

The following links will take you to short video clips illustrating the correct signage of some commonly used law enforcement dialogue, in American Sign Language.

The intent of this project is to see whether a resource such as this is of use to Police Officers, State Troopers and other potential first responders who may need to attempt to converse with a Deaf ASL-user before the arrival of a qualified sign language interpreter. Under the best of circumstances, a considerable amount of time passes before an interpreter arrives at the scene of an emergency, time during which a responding law enforcement officer or other first responder might be able to have a rudimentary exchange of information with a Deaf ASL user if they could understand some basic signs.

The hope is that by studying some of these clips, a law enforcement officer could familiarize him/herself with some commonly used signs and incorporate them into communications with Deaf ASL users.

THESE CLIPS ARE NOT INTENDED TO REPLACE - OR SUBSTITUTE FOR THE PRESENCE OF - A QUALIFIED AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE INTERPRETER IN ANY INTERACTIONS WITH DEAF CITIZENS.

We are very interested in hearing from police officers and law enforcement personnel whether these clips are of value to you and, if so, whether you have suggestions on how we could make them more effective and useful for the stated purpose of improving short-term communication during emergency situations.

Please send us an email for feedback. Please be sure to include your full name, and which law enforcement agency you are associated with.

Only e-mails from law enforcement personnel and other first responders will be replied to.

• An Ambulance Is Coming (High Speed) | (Dialup)
• An Interpreter Will Be Arriving Shortly (High Speed) | (Dialup)
• Are You Hurt? (High Speed) | (Dialup)
• Are You on Medications? (High Speed) | (Dialup)
• Did He (She) Hit You? (High Speed) | (Dialup)
• Do You Have A TTY Number We Can Call? (High Speed) | (Dialup)
• Do You Have Friends or Family to Notify? (High Speed) | (Dialup)
• Do You Have Guns, Knives or Sharp Objects on You? (High Speed) | (Dialup)
• Do You Need a Tow Truck? (High Speed) | (Dialup)
• Do You Need an Ambulance? (High Speed) | (Dialup)
• Do You Need Help? (High Speed) | (Dialup)
• Get Back In The Car (High Speed) | (Dialup)
• Have You Been Drinking? (High Speed) | (Dialup)
• Have You Been Taking Drugs? (High Speed) | (Dialup)
• I Am Giving You a Ticket (High Speed) | (Dialup)
• I Am Giving You a Warning (High Speed) | (Dialup)
• I Am Placing You Under Arrest (High Speed) | (Dialup)
• I Don’t Understand You (High Speed) | (Dialup)
• I Understand (High Speed) | (Dialup)
• I Want a Lawyer (High Speed) | (Dialup)
• I Want an Interpreter (High Speed) | (Dialup)
• Is She Your Wife? (High Speed) | (Dialup)
• Is That Your Child or Children? (High Speed) | (Dialup)
• Is That Your Husband? (High Speed) | (Dialup)
• License and Registration (High Speed) | (Dialup)
• No (High Speed) | (Dialup)
• Please Step Out of the Car (High Speed) | (Dialup)
• Show Your Hands (High Speed) | (Dialup)
• Stop (High Speed) | (Dialup)
• We Have Called For an Interpreter to Come (High Speed) | (Dialup)
• We Would Like to Ask You Some Questions (High Speed) | (Dialup)
• Yes (High Speed) | (Dialup)
• You Are Free to Go (High Speed) | (Dialup)
• You Cannot Drive With an Expired Registration (High Speed) | (Dialup)
• You Went Through a Stop Sign (High Speed) | (Dialup)
• You Were Driving Erratically (High Speed) | (Dialup)
• You Were Speeding (High Speed) | (Dialup)
• Your Registration Has Expired (High Speed) | (Dialup)