Suffolk board aims to build trust between cops, Latinos

BY REID J. EPSTEIN | reid.epstein@newsday.com
December 2, 2008

Suffolk's Hispanic Advisory Board announced several initiatives yesterday to rebuild trust between police and Hispanic communities following the Nov. 8 killing of Marcelo Lucero, though an official said County Executive Steve Levy would not commit funding to the endeavor.

Mel Guadalupe, Levy's minority affairs director, said he hoped to receive "corporate support" for the board's efforts to distribute fliers promoting the Suffolk Police Department policy of not asking a crime victim's immigration status and teaching officers basic Spanish phrases.

Guadalupe and Alexander Gutierrez, the board's chairman, said they did not believe a lack of funding would hinder the group's efforts. Levy spokesman Dan Aug said he didn't expect the program to cost money, but said Levy would commit any resources deemed necessary.

But Legis. Ricardo Montano (D-Central Islip) said there is "not a lot of substance" to the advisory board's proposals, adding the county should devote more resources to the all-volunteer board with a $5,000 annual budget.

"The reality is there's a role for government in this and the government should be supporting it," said Montano, who is often critical of Levy on immigration issues. "It's been this government that has put the perception out there that people should be fearful of going to the police, and they have to correct that."

Gutierrez said the board is considering educational curriculum for county school districts and community groups. He said the group is looking to launch a "student congress" that would help deliver a message of "acceptance of cultural diversity."

"Looking at what happened with Marcelo Lucero," Gutierrez said, "we took it upon ourselves to write something up and present it to the county executive. This way we can have his assistance in implementing that to the community."

Gutierrez said Suffolk's official hate crime statistics, which reported one anti-Hispanic hate crime in 2007, are "hard to believe." Guadalupe said he couldn't say whether more than one Hispanic person was a hate crime victim last year.

Along with Gutierrez, five other advisory board members attended the news conference at Briarcliffe College in Patchogue. Board member Candido Crespo, a Central Islip High School teacher from Brentwood, proposed a poster contest for the county's schoolchildren.

http://www.newsday.com/news/printeditio ... 4519.story