Cops reach out to NN Hispanics

Factors including the language barrier leave many crime victims reluctant to report.
BY DAVID MACAULAY

247-7838

August 26, 2007

NEWPORT NEWS

Fewer than 10 minutes after Newport News police set up a mobile office in the heart of Newport News' Hispanic community, a young Latino man reported a robbery that took place a week earlier when he was dragged out of his car by an assailant.

It confirmed the concerns of police: The city's growing Hispanic community is the target of large numbers of crimes that go unreported because of a fear of the police, the language barrier or a concern that the victim's immigration status will come under scrutiny.

The recent outreach at the Wellington Apartments near Jefferson Avenue and J. Clyde Morris Boulevard was led by Sgt. Xavier Falero, who was assisted by other Spanish-speaking officers.

Two hours into the initiative, three robberies and a report of drug activity had been reported.

"We were here 10 minutes and we had a Hispanic male come up and report a robbery that occurred a week ago," Falero said. "I took one report that was three months ago," he said.

Just hours before the outreach took place, two Hispanic men aged 29 and 45 had been robbed at gunpoint on Forrest Drive at 10.55 p.m. and forced to part with their wallets, gold necklaces and watches.

The next day, police arrested Steven Daniels, 30, of Candlewood Way in Newport News and charged him with possession of a firearm by a felon, three counts of robbery, conspiracy to commit robbery and use of a firearm by a felon.

A 17-year-old was also charged with robbery and police are looking for a third suspect.

Although that crime was reported, Falero said many of the Hispanics who live in Newport News came from counties where it is unwise to come into contact with law enforcement.

"In some of those countries they don't hold their police officers or their military in a very positive light and it's worse to report anything," Falero said.

Falero, whose parents are Spanish and Uruguayan, estimates there are 16 Spanish-speaking officers on Newport News' police force of 400.

On top of the language problem, some Hispanics are wary about giving their details to the police because they are undocumented immigrants.

The deaths of two teenage girls killed when their car was hit in Virginia Beach by an illegal immigrant from Mexico who was accused of drunken driving, has led many police forces to change their policies and check the immigration status of suspects.

Although Newport News Police Chief James Fox drew up a new draft policy in May that involved checking a suspect's immigration status, it is yet to be implemented, according to police spokesman Lou Thurston.

"It's in the hands of the city attorney, the commonwealth's attorney and the U.S. attorney," Thurston said.

Falero said legal status is not relevant for victims of crime or witnesses.

"It's not the issue. If they're a victim of crime, that's what we're concerned about," he said.

"If they're a victim of crime the offenders aren't just doing this crime, they're doing other crimes."

Falero said Hispanics are often targets because many don't have bank accounts, leading them to carry around large amounts of cash.

"They will often tell you the financial institutions they come from in their countries are not stable," he said.

Falero also said he has seen the Hispanic population of Newport News grow rapidly in the decade he's worked as a police officer.

In the 2000 census, there were 7,595 Hispanic residents in the city, representing 4.2 percent of the population. By 2005, 4.7 percent of the population was Hispanic, amounting to about 8,257 people.

Along with using the mobile office, Newport News police have taken their outreach work to the Hispanic community in local churches.

Saurissha Maldonado, the manager of the Wellington Apartments, where about 60 percent of residents are Hispanic, said last week's effort was "very useful."

"I'm very pleased because we had an excellent turnout. A lot of the problems the Hispanic community has are assaults and robberies. They are unable to report because of lack of knowledge and because they're unable to communicate," she said.

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