Public safety programs reach out to immigrant communities
Many cities are implementing public safety programs aimed at creating open relationships and effective communication with immigrant populations, according to a new report from the Washington-based National League of Cities’ (NLC) Municipal Action for Immigrant Integration (MAII) program. In the report, NLC recognizes programs in 17 cities that incorporate successful public safety-immigrant relationships.
The report, “Public Safety Programs for the Immigrant Community,” suggests four best practices for public safety programs: creating two-way information sharing between police and the immigrant community; providing formal and informal opportunities for police and immigrant interaction; improving representation and understanding within a city’s public safety forces; and organizing partnerships to strengthen programs, outreach and resources. “The police-immigrant relationship is very important for effective policing and for getting immigrants accustomed to different cultures and police expectations,” said Ricardo Gambetta, NLC’s manager for immigrant integration. “We hope that these programs can be used as examples to other cities facing demographic and population changes.”
The 17 city programs featured in the report are:
• Brooklyn Center, Minn. — Joint Community Police Partnership
• Chelsea, Mass. — Community Action Teams and the Newcomer Program
• Dallas, Texas — Asian American Unit
• Des Moines, Iowa — HONRA/AORO
• Fort Wayne, Ind. — Hispanic/Immigrant Liaison Officer
• Garden Grove, Calif. — Bilingual Community Service Officers
• Las Vegas — Hispanic American Resource Team
• Lowell, Mass. — Cambodian Community Liaison
• New Haven, Conn. — Elm City Immigration Project: Public Safety and Police Outreach
• Newport News, Va. — Hispanic Outreach Initiative
• New York — Police Immigrant Outreach
• Norfolk, Va. — Hispanic Resource Officer
• Portland, Ore. — AMPAC and Newcomer Meet and Greets
• Storm Lake, Iowa — Community Service Officers
• St. Paul, Minn. — A Community Outreach Program
• Washington — Special Liaison Branch
• Winston Salem, N.C. — Spanish Emergency Translation Cards
Download a copy of “Public Safety Programs for the Immigrant Community.”