• Isaac Groves

    Posted Jul. 13, 2015 at 5:56 PM
    Updated at 8:19 AM

    The Burlington Police Department launched a Facebook page in Spanish Friday, city officials announced on Monday.
    The idea for a Spanish page was suggested at an April 11 community strategic-planning session at Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church, according to the city, as a way to make Hispanic immigrants more comfortable with city law enforcement.
    “We’re gaining confidence and trust, which is a really good thing,” said Officer Roberto Davila, one of two Spanish-speaking officers in the department.
    The department has long had an English-language page on the widely used social networking site where it posts media releases about local crimes, public-services messages and department community events. Devila said the Spanish page would have most of the same information and would be a way for the public to get information to the police as well by posting comments or questions on the page or sending direct messages.
    “The more people know about things the less afraid they are,” said Blanca Nienhaus, editor of Spanish-language newspaper La Voz de Alamance often involved in advocacy for local Spanish-speaking immigrants.
    Nienhaus has had a large role in the police department’s local FaithAction ID card initiative for immigrants and with Fairness Alamance, a group very critical of Alamance County Sheriff Terry Johnson’s treatment of Hispanic immigrants.
    According to the Census, 16 percent of Burlington’s population in 2010 was Latino. While city government has translated many of its publications into Spanish, the police department has led the way on outreach to Spanish speakers, said Teri Monroe, public information technician for the city of Burlington.
    “We do our best to reach that population,” Monroe said. “The (Police Department) has taken the lead on that with its strategic plan.”
    Nienhaus said she hoped this would lead the department to take more public suggestions for ways to connect to local immigrant communities.
    “It’s like a snowball,” Nienhaus said. “If the Facebook page is a benefit, there will be more.”
    Ann Honeycutt, president of Burlington-Alamance Sister Cities praised the department and Chief Jeffrey Smythe for creating the Facebook page.
    “Our police department is making a great effort to welcome our Spanish-speaking friends in Burlington,” Honeycutt said.
    Devila said the next official outreach project he would be involved in was another session to issue local FaithAction ID cards for immigrants at Blessed Sacrament Church on July 31.