Strengthening Relationships between Police and Immigrant (PDF)

Strengthening Relationships between Police and Immigrant Communities in a Complex Political Environment: Multicultural Outreach and Engagement Programs for Police Agencies   Strengthening Relationships between Police and Immigrant Communities in a Complex Political Environment: Multicultural Outreach and Engagement Programs for Police Agencies  This publication was supported by the Ford Foundation. The points of view expressed herein are the authors’ and do not necessarily represent the opinions of the Ford Foundation or individual Police Executive Research Forum members. Sloan, Madeline. Washington, D.C. 20036 Copyright © 2018 by Police Executive Research Forum All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America ISBN: 978-1-934485-48-4 Cover and text page design by Dave Williams. The photos were provided by the Herndon Police Department, Vail Police Department, Avon Police Department, Seattle Police Department, and the City of Seattle’s Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs.  Contents iii Contents Acknowledgments ..................................................................................................................1 Letter from the PERF Executive Director .............................................................................2 Executive Summary ................................................................................................................5 Overview ...................................................................................................................................... 5 The purpose of this report ........................................................................................................ 5 The Seattle Police Department’s Community Outreach Unit ................................................ 6 The Eagle County Law Enforcement Immigrant Alliance ....................................................... 6 The Herndon Police Department and Project Hope .............................................................. 7 Key Promising Practices ............................................................................................................. 7 Introduction ..........................................................................................................................10 The Seattle Police Department’s Community Outreach Unit .........................................13 An Overview of SPD’s Community Outreach Unit ................................................................ 13 History ................................................................................................................................................ 13 Organization ...................................................................................................................................... 14 Approaching Outreach from a Demographic Perspective ........................................................... 16 Building Meaningful Relationships .................................................................................................. 16 Engaging Officers in Outreach Initiatives ....................................................................................... 16 Securing Funding for Outreach Initiatives ...................................................................................... 17 Initiatives to Strengthen Relationships with Immigrant Communities .............................. 18 Immigrant and Refugee Liaison ...................................................................................................... 19 Demographic Advisory Councils ...................................................................................................... 21 The Immigrant Family Institute ....................................................................................................... 26 Building Trust and Strengthening Relationships between Police and Immigrant Families ..... 33 Increasing Cultural Competency of Seattle Police Officers .......................................................... 34 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................. 34 The Eagle County Law Enforcement Immigrant Alliance .................................................37 A County-wide Approach to Outreach and Engagement ..................................................... 37 Committee Membership .................................................................................................................. 38  iv Strengthening Relationships between Police and Immigrant Communities in a Complex Political Environment Committee Activities ......................................................................................................................... 39 Leveraging Existing National Programs to Engage the Latino Community ....................... 40 National Night Out ............................................................................................................................ 40 Academia de Policía para Ciudadanos Latinos (Latino Citizens Police Academy) ..................... 41 Police Explorers ................................................................................................................................. 44 Outreach through Education................................................................................................... 45 Addressing Congregations at Church Services .............................................................................. 46 Providing Training to Local Employees ........................................................................................... 46 Outreach through Social Media and Radio .................................................................................... 47 Educating Residents about 911 Services ........................................................................................ 48 Providing Services to the Latino Community ........................................................................ 49 Mobile Mexican Consulate ............................................................................................................... 50 Volunteer Interpreter Program ....................................................................................................... 50 Clothing Drives for Low-Income Families ....................................................................................... 51 Successful Outcomes of the Law Enforcement Immigrant Alliance ................................... 52 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................. 54 The Herndon Police Department and Project Hope .........................................................56 Establishing Partnerships with Schools ................................................................................. 57 An Opportunity at Hutchinson Elementary ........................................................................... 58 Project Hope .............................................................................................................................. 58 Who Participates in Project Hope? .................................................................................................. 59 Program Activities ............................................................................................................................. 59 Engaging Parents ............................................................................................................................... 61 Expanding the Program .................................................................................................................... 62 The Positive Impact of Project Hope ...................................................................................... 62 Conclusion: Promising Practices for Strengthening Relationships with Immigrant Communities ......................................................................................................64 Establishing a Foundation of Trust ......................................................................................... 64 Using Programming to Build Relationships with Immigrant Communities ...................... 65 Using Education as an Outreach Tool .................................................................................... 65 Involving the Right People ....................................................................................................... 66 Funding Outreach Initiatives ................................................................................................... 66  Contents v About PERF .............................................................................................................................67 Appendix A: Demographic Advisory Council Bylaws ........................................................68 Appendix B: Immigrant Family Institute Program Evaluation ........................................73 Appendix C: LEIA Brochure ..................................................................................................80 Appendix D: LEIA Committee Member Application ..........................................................82 Appendix E: LEIA Post Election Letter .................................................................................86 Appendix F: Citizens Academy Flyers .................................................................................88 Appendix G: Citizens Academy Application Form .............................................................92 Appendix H: Dispelling Rumors Flyer .................................................................................94 Appendix I: Coat Drive News Release .................................................................................95   Acknowledgments 1 Acknowledgments I would like to thank the Ford Foundation for its longstanding support of PERF research, and in particular for the project detailed in this report: an examination of police and sheriffs’ departments’ programs for engaging with immigrant communities. Senior Program Officer Mayra Peters-Quintero deserves credit for focusing attention on this issue and for her support and encouragement throughout the project. PERF is also grateful to everyone who contributed to our research. The Ford Foundation has a long history of supporting PERF’s research on immigration issues. And special thanks go to the police departments that hosted PERF researchers for site visits and provided the information that served as the foundation of this publication: the Herndon, VA Police Department, the Seattle Police Department, the Vail, CO Police Department, and other law enforcement agencies in Eagle County, CO that contributed to this project. All of the practitioners we interviewed for this project were generous with their time and expertise. Their insights shaped our understanding of police-immigrant relationships in the current political environment as well as the promising practices that are captured in this report. Finally, credit is due to PERF staff members who conducted the site visits, interviewed practitioners, and produced this publication, especially Director of Technical Assistance Jessica Toliver and Research Associate Madeline Sloan, who conducted the research and drafted this report. Director of Communications Craig Fischer, Senior Research Associate Elizabeth Miller, and intern Kyle Groves also contributed their expertise and talents to the report. Chuck Wexler Executive Director, Police Executive Research Forum  2 Strengthening Relationships between Police and Immigrant Communities in a Complex Political Environment Letter from the PERF Executive Director The purpose of this report is to provide guidance to law enforcement agencies across the country, of various sizes and types, with guidance about how to create programs for building strong relationships with immigrant communities. For a generation or more, police departments have been striving to establish closer ties with all of the different groups of people who make up their total community. Immigrant communities often require special attention, because over the last decade and especially in the last several years, immigration enforcement has been at the forefront of the nation’s political agenda. At the state level, political leaders have introduced legislation that governs the ways in which local police interact with immigrants in their jurisdiction. For example, in 2010, Arizona passed SB 10701, a law designed to expand the role of local police in immigration enforcement. Other states have followed suit by passing so-called “anti-sanctuary cities” bills, such as Texas SB 42 and Iowa SF 4813, which require local law enforcement to honor ICE detainer requests. On the other hand, some states have worked to limit local police involvement in immigration enforcement. For example, California’s SB 54 prohibits state and local law enforcement agencies from using department resources (e.g., funding, facilities, personnel) for the purposes of immigration enforcement, and discourages cooperation between local police and federal immigration authorities. At the federal level, Executive Orders (e.g., Executive Order 13780,4 commonly referred to as the “travel ban”) and efforts to amend immigration policy (e.g., rescinding the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program5) have sparked national debates on immigration. Increased news media coverage of these issues has brought immigration enforcement into the spotlight, causing many immigrants to experience a heightened fear of deportation and a distrust of law enforcement at all levels. State legislation and federal policies have impacted relationships between local police and the immigrant communities they serve. This has heightened concern among immigrants who view their local police officers warily, fearing that any interaction with the police may put them or their relatives or associates at risk of deportation. As a result, many police departments have experienced strained relationships with immigrant communities in their jurisdictions. 1. S.B. 1070. Fifty-first Legislature 1st Regular. (Arizona, 2010). 2. S.B. 4. 85th Legislature 1st Special Session. (Texas, 2017). 3. S.F. 481 87th General Assembly. (Iowa, 2018). 4. Exec. Order No. 13780. Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States. (2017). 5. Shear, M. & Davis, J. (September 5, 2017). Trump Moves to End DACA and Calls on Congress to Act. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/05/us/politics/trump-daca-dreamers-immigration.html  Letter from the PERF Executive Director 3 Some police agencies have taken proactive measures to build trust and strengthen relationships by conducting outreach to immigrant communities. By serving community members and building trust, police advance their core mission of providing public safety, because when community members know and trust their local officers, they are more likely to report crime and to work with police on neighborhood crime reduction strategies. In 2018, Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) staff members conducted site visits to the Seattle, Washington Police Department; the Herndon, Virginia Police Department; and the Vail and Avon Police Departments in Eagle County, Colorado to observe the multicultural outreach and engagement programs these agencies have developed. These agencies were chosen so that PERF could demonstrate how outreach to immigrant communities can be conducted by a large agency (the Seattle Police Department), a small agency (the Herndon Police Department), and a multi-agency initiative (Eagle County). By highlighting these distinct jurisdictions, we aimed to show how police agencies across the country, regardless of size, geographical region, or budget, can launch outreach programs. This may involve replicating parts of the featured programs or tailoring them to one’s own needs and resources. During the site visits, PERF staff members interviewed key stakeholders involved in the outreach initiatives, including members of the police department (command staff members, officers, and civilian employees), social service providers, community leaders, and community members who have participated in the programs. PERF also attended advisory council meetings, observed outreach activities, and reviewed policies and training curricula. Through these observations and discussions, PERF identified promising practices and lessons for other agencies to consider when implementing their own outreach initiatives. While there are clear benefits to strengthening relationships between police and immigrant communities, many departments may be unsure of where to start. This publication outlines a set of programmatic recommendations based on multicultural outreach programs in agencies from various geographic regions, jurisdiction sizes, and levels of available resources. The purpose of this report is to help agencies establish successful outreach and engagement programs, or to improve existing initiatives. We are grateful to the Ford Foundation for its support of this project and its continued leadership on immigration issues. Previous immigration-related PERF projects supported by the Ford Foundation include Responding to Migrant Deaths Along the Southwest Border: Lessons from the Field6 and Local Police Perspectives on State Immigration Policies.7 6. Police Executive Research Forum. (2016) Responding to Migrant Deaths Along the Southwest Border: Lessons from the Field. https://www.policeforum.org/assets/respondingmigrantdeaths.pdf 7. Police Executive Research Forum. (2014). Local Police Perspectives on State Immigration Policies. https://www.policeforum. org/assets/docs/Free_Online_Documents/Immigration/local%20police%20perspectives%20on%20state%20immigration%20 policies.pdf  4 Strengthening Relationships between Police and Immigrant Communities in a Complex Political Environment Building trust with immigrant communities is a difficult challenge for many law enforcement agencies. More than ever, police must strive to strengthen relationships with the immigrant communities they serve. Chuck Wexler Executive Director, Police Executive Research Forum  Executive Summary 5 Executive Summary Overview In recent years, immigration enforcement has become a sensitive political issue at the local, state, and federal levels. State legislation supporting stricter immigration enforcement (e.g., Texas SB 48 and Arizona SB 10709) and highly publicized news stories of deportations, travel bans, and family separations have caused many immigrants to live in fear and to view law enforcement agencies at all levels warily. This political environment has led to strained relationships between local police agencies and the immigrant communities they serve. Relationships of trust between community members and the police are critical to public safety because crime victims and witnesses are more likely to call the police and assist in investigations if they trust the police. This benefits the entire community by helping to ensure that perpetrators are identified, arrested, and prosecuted. Community trust in the police also is important because it helps to ensure that immigrant communities are not exploited or targeted for victimization. In response to the new challenges and heightened fears, police departments are developing innovative strategies to strengthen relationships with their immigrant communities. This report highlights outreach and engagement initiatives spearheaded by the Seattle Police Department; the Herndon, Virginia Police Department; and law enforcement agencies in Eagle County, Colorado. The purpose of this report In 2018, the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF), with support from the Ford Foundation, examined police outreach to immigrant communities in Seattle, Herndon, and Eagle County. These case studies produced lessons and recommendations to assist law enforcement agencies across the country with creating their own outreach and engagement initiatives. This report documents the results of the PERF project. It outlines promising practices for other agencies to use in creating their own outreach initiatives that are tailored to their specific needs and resources. The report is divided into three sections: • The Seattle Police Department’s Community Outreach Unit; • The Eagle County Law Enforcement Immigrant Alliance; • The Herndon Police Department and Project Hope. 8. S.B. 4. 85th Legislature 1st Special Session. (Texas, 2017). 9. S.B. 1070. Fifty-first Legislature 1st Regular. (Arizona, 2010).  6 Strengthening Relationships between Police and Immigrant Communities in a Complex Political Environment The Seattle Police Department’s Community Outreach Unit The Seattle Police Department’s Community Outreach Unit focuses on building relationships with Seattle’s diverse communities. This report describes initiatives that the Unit has developed, including the following: An Immigrant and Refugee Liaison serves as an ambassador for the police department by engaging with immigrant and refugee community members and participating in community events. Through outreach and education, the Immigrant and Refugee Liaison has helped the Seattle Police Department build trust and strengthen relationships with underrepresented communities. Recruiting and hiring from the immigrant community. The Seattle Police Department has shifted its recruitment and hiring strategy in order to attract members of immigrant communities to the police force. Recognizing that many diverse communities face disadvantages, the department helps these individuals to navigate the hiring process. For example, SPD provides tutoring to help prepare applicants for the written exam. Demographic Advisory Councils are composed of community members who represent Seattle’s diverse communities. Police personnel meet with the Councils on a regular basis to address community concerns and share pertinent information from the police department. The Councils promote a dialogue between the police and each represented community, which strengthens communication and builds trust. The Immigrant Family Institute is a program led by the City of Seattle’s Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs that brings together immigrant youths, their families, and Seattle police officers to learn from each other, strengthen relationships, and build trust. The program’s participants include 15 to 18 immigrant families and 15 to 20 police officers, who meet for weekly sessions over the course of eight weeks. The Eagle County Law Enforcement Immigrant Alliance The Eagle County Law Enforcement Immigrant Alliance (LEIA) is a county-wide initiative that promotes positive relationships between the police and Eagle County’s Latino community. The initiative’s committee is composed of community members and police leaders representing five law enforcement agencies in Eagle County: the Vail Police Department, the Avon Police Department, the Basalt Police Department, the Eagle Police Department, and the Eagle County Sheriff’s Office. Initiatives supported by the Alliance include the following: National programs: LEIA leverages several national programs (i.e., National Night Out, Citizens Police Academy, and Police Explorers) to engage the Latino community. Education: As part of their outreach efforts, the law enforcement agencies in Eagle County address the needs and concerns of the immigrant community through education. For example, police personnel provide training to the community on how to use 911 services. Police also use social media to dispel false rumors of federal immigration enforcement  Executive Summary 7 actions, and educate Latino workers about reporting evidence of crime they may encounter in the workplace (e.g., finding drugs when cleaning a hotel room), or at home (e.g., domestic violence). Service Provisions: The law enforcement agencies in Eagle County work together to provide resources, beyond traditional police services, to meet the unique needs of Latino communities. These services include offering translation services through a volunteer interpreter program, hosting an annual coat drive, and arranging for the Mexican Consulate to travel to Eagle County to provide services to local residents, such as obtaining birth certificates in order to obtain identification documents. The Herndon Police Department and Project Hope The Herndon Police Department (HPD) partners with a local elementary school to conduct outreach with immigrant youths in the community. Officers from HPD attend Project Hope, an afterschool program designed to build trust and strengthen relationships between the police and the community. In this program, 25 students in grades 3-6 meet with officers after school for 90 minutes once per week throughout the academic year. The time together is an opportunity to break down barriers in a relaxed environment and allows the students and officers to learn more about one another. This section of the report discusses the history of the Herndon Police Department’s outreach to youths in schools, and how these existing partnerships led to the department’s involvement in Project Hope. This section also provides an overview of the program and details typical activities between the officers and youth participants. The section concludes with a discussion of how building relationships with children has helped HPD to gain the trust of adults in the community. Key Promising Practices Following are some of the promising practices detailed in this report. (Promising practices are discussed in greater detail in the Conclusion to this report) 1. Many immigrants are wary of the police because of negative experiences with law enforcement in their home country, or because they fear police due to their own immigration status or that of family members or friends. Police officers must overcome these challenges to effectively engage with immigrants in their jurisdiction. Establishing trust is a crucial first step for police agencies interested in conducting outreach to immigrant communities. Promising practices include: a. Partner with community leaders. Identifying and partnering with respected members of the immigrant community will help establish trust with all community members. These individuals can serve as a liaison between the department and the community and encourage participation from community members who might otherwise be reluctant to engage with the police.