IMPD, Latino community come together to tackle issues, focus on safety – WTHR

IMPD met with community members and faith leaders to learn more about the barriers they face when it comes to public safety.

INDIANAPOLIS As Indianapolis grapples with a sudden spike in gun violence the past few weeks, city and police leaders are turning their attention to the community in hopes it will help build positive relationships and make neighborhoods safer in the long-term.

IMPD held a meeting Tuesday with Latino community members and faith leaders in an effort to learn more about the barriers they face when it comes to public safety.

The meeting, dubbed "Tacos with Pastors and Police," was the latest in the Pizza with Pastors and Police series IMPD has been holding around Indianapolis recently to learn from community members about what's working and what needs to change.

"Because at the end of the day, everybody wants to feel safe and secure," IMPD Commander Ida Williams said. "I think we are all working toward the same goal of helping reduce violent crime in our community, and that's what it's all about."

The past few weeks have been violent for the city of Indianapolis, making crime reduction in communities a major priority for police.

For the first time, IMPD is sitting down with members of the city's Hispanic and Latino community, together with community and faith leaders, to help address issues between police and the community.

I think its important that we build bridges between the police department and the Latino community, particularly those individuals who may be fearful of reaching out to the police for any needs that they have, Indianapolis resident Anna Hail said.

"In many cases, Latino people don't come to the police to report abuses or something because lack of knowledge, lack of regular immigration status or just because they don't want to do it or know how to do it," said Leticia Teramoto, Consulate of Mexico Indianapolis. "We are here to try to encourage people to come to the police, to trust more in the police."

Many at Tuesday night's meeting stressed to police that one of the biggest challenges facing the Latino community in Indianapolis is the language and cultural barrier. They're asking for more language-assistance programs, better cultural understanding of Latinos and more Spanish-speaking officers around IMPD who can help victims and respond in emergencies.

"But it is very important to have representation, when somebody calls and to have someone that understands what they're saying," Hail said.

Because we do want our police department to be reflective of the community that we serve, and that means being intentional, and were going to work on that, Williams said.

"Education. We need to educate us, the community. And the community needs to educate you about us," Indianapolis resident Maria Wildridge said.

Many in attendance stressed that the meeting was an important step in addressing the ongoing issues, but to break down these challenges long-term, work needs to be done to meet Latino community members where they're at in neighborhoods, churches and community centers. That can build trust where bonds are thin currently, many stressed to IMPD leadership.

"We need to be aware of the fear that exists in the many communities, and we need to get out more into those communities so we can help to break down that barrier of fear and also the communication, so we know that's a disconnect there," Williams said.

For residents like Hail who were listening and participating in the conversation, she said she's hopeful this will be a good first step in building a lasting relationship together.

"This is only the beginning, and we have yet to see what's possible," Hail said.

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IMPD, Latino community come together to tackle issues, focus on safety - WTHR