Police tutor Hispanic immigrants on U.S. law
Police tutor Hispanic immigrants on U.S. laws
By KATHY JEFCOATS
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 05/26/05
Many Hispanic immigrants have little idea how American police operate.
"For example," said Pilar Brito, who arrived in Forest Park from Mexico two years ago, "Hispanic people think police get to keep the money from tickets they give. And Hispanics feel when they are stopped by police, that they are targeted. But the police let us know in the class that they are stopping us for the actions of the car; they don't know the drivers."
JOHNNY CRAWFORD/AJC STAFF
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(Left to right) Marie Laura Martinez, Frederico Garcia, and Rosa Maria Calvillo enjoy a brief laugh during the Forest Park Hispanic Citizens Police Academy class. The lessons attempt to smooth out the legal differences between U.S. and Hispanic cultures.
JOHNNY CRAWFORD/AJC STAFF
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Pilar Brito (right) asks a question during the class she's attending alongside (from left) Carlos Candela and Patricia Robinson.
Brito, 32, is a student at the Forest Park Hispanic Citizens Police Academy, Academia de Policia para la Comunidad. The academy is designed to improve police relations with Hispanic residents, many who assume American police behave like police in their native countries â€â€