Woman ticketed for not speaking English

DALLAS - A Texas woman who was ticketed for being a non-English-speaking driver is calling for an internal investigation.

Ernestina Mondragon was pulled over Oct. 2 on a traffic stop and cited for not speaking English in addition to two other traffic violations.

Mondragon and her attorney said Sunday they are filing a complaint with the Dallas Police Department.

"I do not understand how a police officer can give a citation for an offense that doesn't exist on paper," Domingo Garcia, Mondragon's attorney, said.

Chief David Kunkle said last week the officer, a rookie under supervised training, misapplied a federal law when citing Mondragon.

He said the department's computer system for citations includes the law, which requires drivers of commercial vehicles to speak English.

Mondragon's "no-English" ticket was later dismissed in court.

The department says more than three dozen other citations for not speaking English have been issued by at least six officers.

Kunkle says the officers and their commanders are under investigation.