Bienvenidos a Delmarva

Steering Committee Meeting

Montgomery Room, Salisbury University

November 17, 2005

 

Attendees:

 

Tim Robinson, Wicomico Sheriff Dept.

Mike Elliott, Wicomico Sheriff Dept.

Allan Webster, Salisbury Police Dept.

Buck Bailey, Attorney at Law

Carmen Sauveur, Legal Aid Bureau

Sr. Agnes Oman, Hispanic Ministry

Sr. Eileen Eager, Seton Center- Catholic Charities

Danielle Weber, Somerset County Health Dept.

Patricia Salem, Somerset County Health Dept.

Erica Cryor, U.S. EEOC

Andrew Counts, Wor-Wic Community College

Marilyn Zuckerman, Wicomico County Board of Ed.

Robert Carlisle, Wicomico County Board of Ed.

Christine Elsey, Wicomico County Health Dept.

Leila Krouse, Catholic Charities- Immigration services

Maria Melenciano, Gov. Comm/ Wicomico Dept. of Social Services

Rosa Rodriguez, Telemon Corp.

Liz Bellavance

Lee Whaley, Sen. Paul Sarbanes’ Office

 

I. Agenda, Amy Leibman

 

  • Welcome and Introductions
  • Bienvenidos Overview
  • Immigrants and Crime
    • City of Salisbury Police Department- Chief Webster
    • Wicomico County Sheriff’s Department
  • Updates from the field
  • Open
  • Next Meeting 1/19/06, 2-4 pm

 

II. Immigration Growth and Crime, Chief Webster- Salisbury Police Dept., Tim Robinson and Mike Elliott- Wicomico Sheriffs Dept.

 

  • Increase in population has led to an increase in crime; there has been an increase in victims from last year to this year.
    • 2004- 4,053 reported victims and 169 were Hispanic
    • 2005- 4,476 reported victims and 198 were Hispanic
    • Numbers are based solely on reported crimes, the numbers show an increase but do not give the full picture if people aren’t reporting crime. The group discussed the fact that there is a lot of crime that goes unreported in the immigrant community due to:
      • Fear of authority (police) based from cultural view, fear of deportation, lack of communication ease.
      • Broad view of police, no differentiation between departments or branches
      • Lack of know-how
  • Most crimes/ victimization involving Hispanics occurs mainly during the day /weekends.  Chief Webster pointed to one series of crimes and that perpetrator has been apprehended.   The group discussed reasons why the immigrant community is victimized. 
    • Lack of bank use, so there is always money handy due to:
      • Not being able to open accounts because of lack of proper papers
      • Mistrust in the banking system
    • Targeted due to language barrier, known mistrust and fear of police
  • Police departments in this area are already trying to accommodate the growing Hispanic/ Immigrant population by:
    • Hispanic community focused Citizen Police Academy which resulted in 3 Hispanic community members attending.
      • By using the word “citizen” does that discourage many in the Hispanic Community from attending?
    • 2 Spanish speaking officers on the force and hiring 2 more bilingual officers
    • Offering monetary incentives for those officers that take and pass a Spanish speaking competency test.
    • Mandatory starting in January any officer going to college is required to take 2 semesters of Spanish
    • Spanish Survival Course- teaches basic Spanish to officers
  • The group discussed the importance building the trust of this population so that crimes will be reported.  The law enforcement agencies stressed that as reporting crimes increase and then better resources, plans, and actions can be put into effect.
    • By increasing positive experiences with the police then trust will also increase.
    • A problem that arises is that if asked by the Hispanic community about reporting and deportation an officer is obligated by law to uphold and report to INS, however, their focus is to protect everybody in the area, by fighting crime and helping all victims, not reporting.
  • Law enforcement agencies differentiate their offices from the one that deals with 9-1-1 calls.
    • 9-1-1 department would be a relevant speaker to have at a meeting.

 

 

III. Possible Ideas/ Solutions, Beinvenidos Committee & Police Departments Present

 

  • Citizens Academy program:
    • Change the name of the program to be more inviting and get more Hispanic participation
    • Add a committee of intermediaries to network and reach more of the targeted communities
    • Hold mini-sessions to ease mistrust:
      • Sessions could focus on things such as: knowing your rights, the laws, meet and greet with officers
  • Imitate similar programs going on elsewhere:
    • Baltimore County Workshop of police and communities (last 2 pgs. of packet handout)
    • Delaware and Sussex County- Look into how they are settling/ handling their growth boom
  • In-services for law enforcement agencies
    • Both the Sheriff’s Dept and Police Dept agreed to having in-services for their officers.  At the very least it could be just sharing the results of the 2003 needs assessment to give law enforcement personnel a better understanding of the population.

 

IV. Committee Member Concerns/ Resources

 

  • Liz Bellavance
    • Has enlisted SU students to participate as translators to accompany Spanish speakers to banks to help open accounts
  • Rosa Rodriguez
    • Telamon has started teaching English speaking classes:
      • MW 3:30-5:30
      • MW 6:00-8:00
      • Another set of classes is set to begin in February and all you need to do is register.