January 19, 2010 Comments (14)

Police look at issue of unreported crime against immigrants
By Keith Upchurch

Posted: Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2010

DURHAM It's a "big political hot potato," says Durham Police Chief Jose Lopez.

But the problem of undocumented immigrants being victimized by crime and then being too afraid to report it to police is of deep concern to him and other law officers nationwide.

That was a top issue discussed at the Police Executive Research Forum that met at the Hilton hotel in Research Triangle Park in Durham recently. The forum is a national organization of police executives based in Washington.

Lopez said fear among immigrants regarding reporting crime is prevalent nationwide. He said the problem exists in Durham, but has diminished.

"Many of these individuals don't report crimes now, but it could be a lot worse," Lopez said. "We've been very fortunate that this community has come forward to some extent. And we also have partners in this community who are trusted by the undocumented populations that we can go to, speak to and get messages to in order to keep them safer. And it also keeps other citizens safe in the city."

Lopez said it's unacceptable for undocumented immigrants to be targeted by criminals.

"They should not be victims of crime, and we are interested, because when an individual may attack an undocumented person, they're often only attacking that person because they believe they're undocumented. But it could be that they are attacking an American citizen, and not realizing it."

Lopez said the most important thing he learned at the conference, organized by the Raleigh Police Department, was that there is more agreement than disagreement on the issue, and that encourages him.

"We may not be on the same line," he said, "but we're all on the same page."




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