Public safety meeting held with Latino community in Durham

Spanish-speaking residents said they can't communicate effectively when reporting crimes or cooperating with police.
Posted 7/11/2022, 12:26:10 AM Updated 7/11/2022, 3:31:50 AM

CASE, CYCLING FATALITIES ROSE

ANOTHER 5% IN 2021.

TODAY, LATINO LEADERS MET WITH

DURHAM'S NEW POLICE CHIEF AND

PUBLIC SAFETY DIRECTOR TO TALK

ABOUT THE CRIMES THAT GO

UNREPORTED BECAUSE OF THE LACK

OF BILINGUAL PERSONNEL IN BOTH

DEPARTMENTS WRAL'S LESLIE

MORENO. SHE WENT TO THAT

MEETING EARLIER THIS AFTERNOON.

SHE JOINS US LIVE NOW TO SHARE

DETAILS OF THAT VERY

DISCUSSION. LESLIE.

>> JULIAN, SPANISH SPEAKING

RESIDENTS SAY THEY AREN'T ABLE

TO COMMUNICATE EFFECTIVELY.

ONE REPORTING CRIMES OR

COMMUNICATING AND COOPERATING

WITH POLICE. LOCAL LEADERS WE

SPOKE WITH SAY AT THEIR MEETING

SAY IT'S IMPACTING CRIME HERE

IN DURHAM.

>> LATINO LEADERS HAVE RECEIVED

ABOUT 400 COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE

LACK OF BILINGUAL CITY

EMPLOYEES. YEAH, IT WAS VERY

HARD AND WE CONDUCT LISTENING

SESSIONS.

>> THROUGHOUT THE COMMUNITY

AND THAT WAS THE MAIN CONCERN.

ONE OF THE EVENT ORGANIZER SAYS

IT'S MAKING IT HARD FOR SPANISH

SPEAKERS TO REPORT CRIMES AND

COOPERATE WITH POLICE.

SOMETIMES OUR MEN AND THE

MEMBERS OF OUR COMMUNITY

WITNESS THAT AFFECT NOT THEM,

BUT OTHERS IN THE COMMUNITY AND

THEY NEED TO BE ABLE TO

COMMUNICATE WITH SOMEBODY ABOUT

THOSE SITUATIONS. THOSE

CONCERNS FOR BROUGHT TO THE

MAYOR CITY COUNCIL IN CHIEF

OF POLICE RESIDENTS AND OTHER

LOCAL LEADERS ATTENDED THE

MEETING IN HOPES OF THE

SOLUTION. PEOPLE.

>> NEED TO KNOW THAT WHEN THEY

ARE IN CRISIS WHEN SOMETHING

DANGEROUS HAPPENS THAT THEY CAN

TRUST WHO THEY'RE COMMUNICATING

TOO, BUT ALSO THAT THEY CAN

COMMUNICATE EASILY. THE MEETING

ENDED WITH A COUPLE SOLUTIONS

HIRING BILINGUAL CITY EMPLOYEES

IN GIVING BONUSES TO BILINGUAL

STAFF ALREADY EMPLOYED. THE

QUESTION THEN BECOMES.

>> HOW DO WE HOLD THEM

ACCOUNTABLE AND MAKING SURE

THAT THEY DON'T JUST SAY YES,

WE'RE GOING TO DO THIS. AND

THEN WE LOOK UP A YEAR WE

DIDN'T GET TO.

>> AND THERE WILL BE ANOTHER

MEETING IN THE COMING MONTHS TO

SEE HOW THINGS ARE MOVING

ALONG. BUT FOR MANY, TODAY'S

MEETING WAS A STEP IN THE RIGHT

DIRECTION. JULIAN, THAT

COMMUNICATION IS SO CRITICAL,

ESPECIALLY WHEN A CRIME IS

© WRAL