Thread: Police international unit easing immigrants' minds

http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/s ... 3979.shtml

The Florida Times-Union

August 25, 2006

Police international unit easing immigrants' minds


By KEN LEWIS
The Times-Union

Jacksonville police Officer Ivan Pena surveys the room full of Hispanics after introducing himself and Officer Dennis Pellot, the two members of a new Jacksonville police unit created to deal with the city's growing immigrant population.

He speaks in Spanish to a group that includes Peruvians, Mexicans and more.

"We're not immigration," Pena said. "We're not 'federales.' Of course, if you commit a crime, that's another thing. We'll find you a place to spend the night."

The group of about 30 laugh at the subtle phrasing, then pepper the officers with questions. Most of the problems are utilitarian, such as whether certain international driver's licenses are legal. It is a friendly gathering at a police substation off Dunn Avenue, part of Pena and Pellot's continuing efforts to spread the word about the new unit.

With an easy bearing and flawless Spanish, they try to reach out to immigrants who may avoid reporting crimes for fear of being deported.


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"We're seeing a change," Pellot said. "They're reporting these crimes now. They aren't going to be easy prey any more."

As they work on locating the parts of town where the immigrants live, the officers will be contacting Hispanic pastors to reach people through churches as well. They have been meeting with residents at least once a week since Sheriff John Rutherford announced the creation of the unit last month. Pellot is also translating a crime-prevention pamphlet.

At first, the officers planned to go out with unmarked cars and specialized polo shirts, but that idea fell through so they're using their marked cars and hoping people don't scatter.

"We hope our gift of gab gets us closer," Pena said.

A rash of robberies against immigrants provided much of the impetus for the new unit, but the officers are finding a lot of scams involving fake international driver's licenses sold to people. Many of the immigrants are also abused financially, tricked into overpaying for shared rooms by predators who understand their fear.

"They use the threat 'I'll call the immigration'," Pellot said.

For now, the officers see about 20 criminal reports a week involving Hispanics, a growing population in Northeast Florida. The number of calls to police by non-English speakers has grown from 50 in 1991 to 2,282 in 2005, Rutherford said when he unveiled the unit. There are 36 Spanish-speaking officers in the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office.

"The biggest barrier we have is the language barrier," Pellot said. "But we can break the ice citywide."

At the substation, Peruvian immigrant Alexander Aliaga at first was a little apprehensive. He listened to the officers' introductions, then piped out a comment.

"But there are a lot of police who treat you badly," he said.

At the end of the meeting, his outlook was changed.

"This is good," he said. "They're here to help us. The police here are the best in Florida."

ken.lewis@jacksonville.com, (904) 359-4654

The crimes are committed against themselves....why are the police so concerned? Everyone has a choice of reporting it or not. The police are protecting and aiding illegal aliens. They need to spend their time and tax dollars protecting American citizens.