Cities Recognized for Public Safety Programs in Immigrant Communities

WASHINGTON, June 8, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In order to efficiently maintain public safety throughout a community, cities are recognizing that police must have open relationships and effective communication with immigrant populations.  A new report from the National League of Cities' (NLC) Municipal Action for Immigrant Integration (MAII) program, Public Safety Programs for the Immigrant Community, highlights programs from across the country that incorporate successful public safety-immigrant relationships.

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Visit NLC's MAII program page to see a copy of the report.

The report outlines four key suggestions for public safety programs: communication (create two-way information sharing between police and the immigrant community); outreach and community relations (provide formal and informal opportunities for police and immigrant interaction); diversity (improve representation and understanding within a city's public safety forces); and collaboration (organize partnerships to strengthen programs, outreach and resources).

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, Nev. – 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, NY – 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, DC – Special Liaison Branch
• Winston Salem, NC – Spanish Emergency Translation Cards

"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."

"I am very pleased with the various programs that the police department has put together to improve trust, communication and team building with the diverse communities within our city," said Jim Fox, Chief of Police for Newport News, Va.  "The Newport News Police Department's vision of taking a leading role in making Newport News, Virginia, a place where people want to live, work and play is a reality due to our efforts in these various programs."

"Building trust amongst multi-cultural communities along with the police is critical in reducing crime. When people don't trust the police, they are at an extreme risk to lawlessness – victims and witnesses will remain silent," said Kevin Benner, Chief of Police for Brooklyn Center, Minn.  "The Joint Community Police Partnership has been able to help us diminish the barriers between our New American friends and Law Enforcement.  Through the program we have been able to establish community partnerships and see the program meeting the needs of our changing demographics."

As part of NLC's Center for Research and Innovation, MAII promotes civic engagement and naturalization among immigrant communities. MAII is a resource for NLC members, fostering a knowledge-sharing network to help cities learn from the experiences of their counterparts across the country.  The MAII project is supported by the Knight Foundation.

The National League of Cities is the nation's oldest and largest organization devoted to strengthening and promoting cities as centers of opportunity, leadership and governance. NLC is a resource and advocate for 19,000 cities, towns and villages, representing more than 218 million Americans.  

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SOURCE National League of Cities