http://www.courierpress.com/news/2007/m ... -momentum/

Latino outreach gains momentum
By KATE BRASER
Courier & Press staff writer 464-7622 or braserk@courierpress.com
Monday, March 12, 2007

Only two meetings into the new Latino Outreach Program, Evansville police already are seeing more interest in the monthly gatherings intended to help Spanish-speaking residents learn about local police policies and procedures.

On Sunday afternoon, a slightly larger group than last month's gathering crowded around six rows of tables in the cafeteria of Nativity Church.

Officer Kevin Corbin used a translator and slide show written in English and Spanish to explain the reasons police officers pull motorists over and how subjects stopped by police should interact with investigating officers.

Organizers say many new Spanish-speaking residents want to learn how local law enforcement works, and police officers want to clarify their roles.

Evansville Police Sgt. Scott Doan attended the meeting to explain how the internal affairs unit of the police department works.

"We will investigate any complaint," he said. "If you have a complaint and bring it to me, it will be investigated."

Doan said the most common complaint is that an officer was rude.

"That, many times, might be due to a misunderstanding or miscommunication," he said.

Doan said racial profiling is another repetitive complaint.

"It all boils down to the officer's mind-set and reason for stopping someone," said Doan. He said it is against police policy to pull anyone over based on race alone.

After the meeting, Doan left his business cards and offered to linger if anyone wanted to discuss a personal issue or complaint.

Sgt. Karla Larmore said because the second Sunday of April falls on Easter, there will be no meeting next month.

In the meantime, she encouraged people to consider riding along with a police officer.

"Once people ride with us and see the things we do and the reason for it, there is a better understanding," Larmore said.

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This is sickening to say the least.