ST. PAUL (WCCO) — The way a deaf man was treated after he was arrested and held in the Ramsey County Jail has led to a settlement that calls for significant changes.
The settlement will make the jail more accessible for deaf people, as well as compensation for Doug Bahl and his wife.
Bahl was pulled over for a traffic violation, but was taken to jail because he could not communicate with the officer.
While he was at the Ramsey County Jail, he was not allowed to have an interpreter or access to a phone for the deaf.
His wife was in the hospital at the time and didn’t hear from her husband for three days.
Tuesday, Bahl held a press conference and communicated with sign language along with an interpreter.
He said if the changes had been made before his experience, it would have made a world of difference. He would also like police to have more training about the deaf community.
