LINCOLN, Neb. -- Not one law-enforcement agency in Nebraska is meeting all U.S. Department of Justice guidance and best practices on how to provide language access to residents with limited English proficiency, despite a wealth of available tools and resources, according to a new ACLU Nebraska report.

Rose Godinez, interim legal director for the group, said it is critical for all residents who encounter police to understand what is being said.

"We hope Nebraska law-enforcement agencies will explore these strategies and understand and address language access to ensure public safety for all, and to protect the constitutional rights for all Nebraskans," Godinez stated.

Federal law requires law-enforcement agencies receiving federal funds to ensure people with limited English proficiency have meaningful language access to services. But 12 of 19 agencies surveyed did not have instructions for their officers on how and when to access language services during interviews, interrogations or traffic stops.

ACLU Nebraska is calling on the Nebraska Crime Commission to update its 2015 language access plan to address the deficiencies. The commission did not respond to a request for comment.

Researchers found 14 of 19 law-enforcement agencies did not have any officers who had attended training on how to navigate language barriers.

Godinez emphasized once adopted, new policies also need to be publicized, so people will know that they can request interpreters or translators if they are stopped or questioned by police.

"If individuals don't see the policy, or don't see that this is available, they won't ask for it," Godinez pointed out. "Then there really isn't any meaningful language access being provided."

Census figures show nearly 5% of Nebraskans have limited English proficiency, and more than one in ten speak a language other than English at home.

Godinez noted entire communities are safer when everyone, regardless of languages spoken, feels valued and heard by those entrusted to keep us safe.

It's been nearly a year since North Dakota began collecting racial data on people accused of committing crimes - a process that paves the way for a review to address potential bias in the state's criminal-justice system.

In March 2021, a rule was established for prosecutors around the state to include the defendant's race, as perceived by law enforcement, when filing a criminal complaint.

In an era of racial reckoning, said Judge Anthony Swain Benson, chairman of the Minority Justice Implementation Committee, it's vital to know if North Dakota's system favors certain populations over others.

"Our justice system is, everybody is treated equally under the law," he said. "That's what we're based on, and so if that's not the case, we need to take steps to address that."

He said a review of the initial data is expected to begin this spring. Watchdogs have noted that North Dakota has had among the highest general incarceration rates in the world, let alone the nation, with large disparities for the state's Native American and Black populations.

Groups such as Legal Services of North Dakota have said the effort coincides with issues of representation, since people often subjected to bias also have difficulty getting an attorney. The initial look might focus on how reliable the data-collection process is, but Swain Benson said it could dovetail into broader subjects "to determine if there is a higher percentage of a certain ethnicity that are being arrested."

He added that the upcoming analysis won't be a one-time event - that the spirit of the rule is to set up a method for ongoing data collection in determining racial bias. The findings for this specific project will apply only to defendants age 18 and older.

As Democrats in Congress struggle to get enough votes to pass new federal voter protections, Denver's annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day "Marade" - a hybrid march and parade - saw strong turnout yesterday.

The pandemic forced last year's event to go virtual. Denver resident Darrel White said it's time for Congress to push back against what he sees as moves by Republican state legislatures to restrict voter access.

"I think they're trying to stop Black people from voting," said White. "The little towns, they can't vote because they can't even get to where the vote is. This is America, and we all should be able to vote."

Fueled by President Donald Trump's disproven claims that the 2020 elections were stolen, more than 30 laws recently passed by Republican-led legislatures in at least 17 states are set to take effect before this year's midterm elections.

Republicans maintain that limiting vote by mail and ballot dropoff locations, allowing state legislators to oversee results and other measures, are necessary to prevent fraud in future elections.

Michael Himelstein is a digital marketer who attended the Marade. He said he believes state-level voting measures that restrict access should be trumped by federal legislation that makes it easier for all Americans to vote, including making elections a federal holiday.

He said he also does not agree with claims of widespread voting fraud in 2020.

"They should show the data that proves that there is fraud going on," said Himelstein. "Right now, there is no proof of any fraud. And for the very small cases of fraud, it's nowhere near enough to swing an election."

On Monday, President Joe Biden urged Congress to pass two measures aiming to increase access to the ballot box and protect election officials from undue partisan influence. Octavia Franklin, a Denver mother of four, said restricting voter access will make it harder to address ongoing challenges facing communities of color.

"There's systemic problems, racism, within every aspect of our lives," said Franklin. "Within businesses, there's still a little bit of redlining here in the state of Colorado."

The quest for greater racial equity in the Northwest is in the spotlight today on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and it's part of the mission of one local organization.

Gordon McHenry Jr. - president and CEO of United Way of King County - said the first step to addressing inequality is understanding this struggle is going on everywhere.

"Make sure that folks are recognizing that in Seattle and King County - progressive Northwest - we have issues of racial inequity right here," said McHenry. "And it's not in other places; it's right here."

To shed more light on the issue, United Way of King County hosts an online event this Wednesday at 6 pm with Clint Smith, author of a recent a book on America's reckoning with its history of slavery.

McHenry said it's been important for United Way of King County to address racial equity, a process that began with a task force and assessment of the organization.

He said one pivotal shift they've made is to be guided by the communities they serve - especially Black, Indigenous and people of color.

"Show up more as a partner than as a grantor - 'You must apply for a grant' or, 'To work with us, you must go through these hoops,'" said McHenry. "We want to just sit with them and understand, how can we support them as a partner, and in a less structured way?"

McHenry said sadly, the issues that Martin Luther King was most concerned about - racism, poverty and violence - still are relevant in 2022.

"And those who are furthest from the resources," said McHenry, "historically marginalized, not sure they always feel like they belong, it's even more urgent and more pressing for whom that is their reality."

McHenry said he's afraid attention on racial equity might be waning, but he urges community members to keep up the pressure on issues like the role of law enforcement. He encouraged leaders to step up, too.

"Let's just be courageous and let's make some changes," said McHenry. "And what better time to do it than when you've had a racial justice reckoning, or when you have tolerated and hopefully survived a once-in-a-century pandemic?"