(a) "Person with a disability" means a person who cannot readily understand or communicate the English language, or cannot understand the proceedings or a charge made against the person, or is incapable of presenting or assisting in the presentation of a defense, because of deafness, or because of a physical hearing impairment or physical speaking impairment.
(b) "Qualified interpreter" means a person who is readily able to communicate with the person with a disability, translate the proceedings, and accurately repeat and translate the statements of the person with a disability to the officer or other person.
(2) Upon the arrest of a person with a disability and before interrogating or taking the statement of the person with a disability, the arresting peace officer, or when the arrest is by a private person, the officer to whom the person with a disability is delivered, shall make available to the person with a disability, at the earliest possible time, a qualified interpreter to assist the person with a disability throughout the interrogation or taking of a statement.
(3) The public employer of the arresting peace officer or officer to whom the person with a disability is delivered shall pay the fees and expenses of the qualified interpreter. [1973 c.386 §3; 1981 s.s. c.3 §139; 1989 c.224 §9; 2007 c.70 §34; 2015 c.397 §1]