HOBART | Police and emergency workers now have the capability to talk with residents in 173 different languages, thanks to a telephone interpreting service the city has signed on with.

For $1.25 a minute, Language Line Services will connect a city employee to an interpreter who can translate for non-English speaking residents.

Although the service is used by the Indiana Department of Welfare, EMS Director Bob Lamprecht believes Hobart is the first municipality in Northwest Indiana to subscribe.

According to 2000 Census figures, 7.7 percent of Hobart residents speak a language other than English in their homes, Lamprecht said.

Details of the service were announced Wednesday.

Lamprecht said the service will be helpful for police and fire dispatchers, who could conference call the service for help gathering more information once first responders have been dispatched.

The service also could be used in police interrogations or with crime victims. Other city workers could use the service to help issue permits at non-English speaking businesses, or for residents who came into City Hall in need of services. Hobart City Court also will have access to the service.

When an employee is faced with a situation that requires an interpreter, they can call the phone number 24 hours a day.

"It's more cost-effective than hiring a (bilingual) dispatcher," Lamprecht said. "We'll be better able to process emergency calls and get the information we need."