Thread: KS: Police meet with Hispanics to discuss profiling, immigra

Police meet with Hispanics to discuss profiling, immigration
BY HURST LAVIANA
The Wichita Eagle
Wichita Police Chief Norman Williams met with more than 100 members of the city's Hispanic community Saturday to try to clear up misconceptions about how his officers deal with minorities.

A major concern was a fear that any illegal immigrant in Wichita would be immediately arrested if he or she has any contact with Wichita police.

"When a citizen is the victim of a crime, we do not ask if they are documented or undocumented," Williams said.

The meeting at Horace Mann Dual Language Magnet School was arranged by Hispanos Unidos, a branch of Sunflower Community Action.

Organization president Lore Quintero said she hoped the meeting would strengthen ties between police and Hispanics.

The topics included a suggestion that police place bilingual Neighborhood Watch signs in Hispanic neighborhoods.

Police were receptive to the idea, but later said the organization that makes the signs would have to approve the idea.

The group also discussed concerns of Hispanics who think they are sometimes stopped because of their race.

"The Wichita Police Department does not tolerate racial profiling," Williams said. "We have policies, we have procedures, that allow us to address allegations of racial profiling."

Williams encouraged anyone who thinks he or she has been the victim of profiling to file a complaint with the department's professional standards unit.

"What assurances are there that there won't be reprisals against a person who files a complaint?" one audience member asked.

"If we determine an officer retaliates because of a complaint -- when someone commits that violation, it's termination," Williams said.

He encouraged those in the audience to get to know the officers who patrol their neighborhoods. He also suggested that they consider signing up for the Department's Citizen Police Academy.

Emira Palacios, who led the discussion, urged those in the audience to report all crimes in their neighborhoods.

"We want you to file reports," she said. "If somebody asks you for your immigration papers, get the name of the police officer."

Quintero said afterward that she thought the meeting had been a success.

"We don't want our Hispanic community to be afraid of the police," she said.

Reach Hurst Laviana at 316-268-6499 or hlaviana@wichitaeagle.com.

http://www.kansas.com/news/local/story/98974.html

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"When a citizen is the victim of a crime, we do not ask if they are documented or undocumented," Williams said.

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