Thread: NJ still a sanctuary state for illegal aliens............

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December 15, 2008

Cops strive to leap language hurdles

By MICHELLE SAHN
STAFF WRITER

Detective Michael Verdadeiro often stops in a local shop simply for a cup of coffee, but there are mornings when he also gets crime tips and questions from members of the local Portuguese-speaking community.

Some days, as Detective Juan H. Vasquez rides down city streets in his police car, Spanish-speaking immigrants flag him down to offer information or ask questions. Sometimes it's related to police work. Other times, they ask about other legal issues, like landlord-tenant disputes.

Verdadeiro is trilingual, and Vasquez is bilingual. The men know many residents and business owners in the community, and police say their language skills and networking abilities help the department combat the problem of immigrants who are reluctant to report crimes.

Earlier this year in Long Branch, a Spanish-speaking man flagged down a police officer and told him he had just been robbed at gunpoint on Morris Avenue.

Police said they spotted three fleeing suspects, and they caught two of them, but when police returned to the spot where they had left the victim, he was gone.

The two defendants — a 17-year-old boy and 20-year-old man from Neptune — have been charged with weapons possession because police recovered a handgun and hollow-point bullets during the investigation, but they have not been charged with the robbery because the victim never followed up with police and all attempts to find him were unsuccessful.

That reluctance to come forward or follow through with investigations is not unique to Long Branch.

Last year, after a native of Mexico was murdered in Asbury Park, community leaders spoke with police about crime issues, including the vulnerability of immigrants who are targeted by robbers because they know Latino workers are often paid in cash.

City police soon teamed up with the Monmouth County Sheriff's Office to get quick translation help with calls made directly to city headquarters. Those translation services — through AT&T Language Line — were already provided for 911 calls, with Spanish being the county's most widely translated language, followed by Chinese.

In the weeks and months after that murder — which remains unsolved — Asbury Park police also visited businesses whose customers are predominantly immigrants and met with members of various local Latino groups.

Police in Asbury Park and other communities, including Freehold and Long Branch, have also worked with the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office to hold outreach programs at local churches whose congregants are predominantly Latino.

Vasquez said the problem of convincing immigrants to cooperate with investigations is often two-pronged: Victims are worried about their citizenship status, and if they are injured and uninsured, they are concerned about unaffordable medical bills.

"A lot of times, I have to convince them to go to the hospital, and (explain) there's certain relief the state has through the Victims of Crime Compensation (Office)," he said. "It's more of an education problem. They don't know this. We need to ease them into it."

He said under a state Attorney General's directive, police cannot ask victims or witnesses about their immigration status.

"A lot of times, we let them know, even if they are in the country illegally, they are granted the same rights as you and me," Vasquez said.

In Long Branch, a city with a large population of immigrants from Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala and, in recent years, Brazil, having officers who speak a second language is helpful, police said.

There are about a dozen officers on the force who either speak Portuguese, Spanish or both. They also employ an officer who is fluent in Italian and another who speaks Korean.

"Communication is not really a problem — we have a lot of Spanish-speaking officers," Vasquez said. "It's more of a trust issue."

So, on some mornings, Vasquez stops at a corner to chat with the day laborers who gather there daily.

Verdadeiro, who has lived in the city for most of his life, said sometimes, members of the Portuguese-speaking community knock on his door so they can talk to him about issues.

Detective Sgt. Fernando Sanders said police want to make it clear that their job is to protect the community.

"We're here for them," he said. "When they don't cooperate in the investigation, not only do they suffer, it allows the bad guy to stay on the street and victimize their community and other communities."

Compared with a year ago, city police are prosecuting more cases in which the victims are immigrants, Sanders said.

"The word of mouth has spread throughout the community," he said. "They're part of the community — legal or illegal — and it's our job to take care of our community. That's the message I want to get out to them."

One of the main reasons why New Jersey like it's sister state Mexifornia is in the financial quagmire that it is is because it is a sanctuary state spending hundreds of millions of dollars on illegal immigration while that state is bankrupt and has the highest property taxes in the nation. Corzine one of the most corrupt pieces of s!$& convened a panel comprised of open borders advocates which will recommend more services and benefits for illegal aliens. Where has this country gone?

Another reason why "sanctuary" NJ is going down the tubes is their NJSTARS program (FREE tuiton is in the stars is their tagline).

http://www.njstars.net/

Exclusively for NJ "residents" graduating in the top 20% (soon to be 15%) of their high schools.

NJ's version of the Dream Act is alive and well.