City seeks agreement with Murray State to teach police Spanish

During its June 3 work session, the Lexington City Council will discuss the authorization of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the city and Murray State University, Kentucky Institute for International Studies, setting up a program to instruct sworn employees of the Lexington Police Department in Spanish.

If authorized, MSU/KIIS would provide 140 to 150 hours of college level Spanish Language instruction, the equivalent of nine credit hours for each employee.

The agreement would cost taxpayers $4,995, money already budgeted.

The MOU would remain valid through 2010.

The Hispanic population of Lexington in 2000 was 8,561, constituting about 3.3 percent of the population, according census data. The Kentucky State Data Center estimates the Hispanic population will grow to over 17,500 by 2010.