KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Kansas City Police Department is working on improving its interactions with members of the Spanish-speaking community in Kansas City.
In an attempt to build respect and relationships between the two sides, the police department launched a citizens’ police academy specifically for leaders in the Hispanic community this week.
“Introduce them to their community police officers and work to start building that bridge of communication and collaboration and see what we can do to partner to reduce crime and improve quality of life,” explained KCPD Community Initiative Officer Jason Cooley.
Monday and Tuesday night, about 20 Hispanic leaders met with police officers at the Consulate of Mexico in Kansas City. The “academy” allowed each side to build trust, talk about challenges and solutions.
“You could see from all participants and the officers that were there from the police department, there is an actual will and commitment to make this work because there is an actual need there for the community we are trying to serve,” said Desiree Colome, the head of consular protection and legal affairs departments at the Consulate of Mexico in Kansas City.
Ideas the sides will focus on moving forward include recruiting Spanish-speakers at the police department, addressing fears Spanish-speakers have about approaching police and dedicate officers to Hispanic neighborhoods.
