LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — More than 40 participants from all walks of life gathered at Metro’s headquarters Wednesday night for a lesson on communication as part of the Hispanic Citizens’ Academy’s latest class.
The 12-week evening program offers a closer look at how Metro operates through interactive classes and gives participants a chance to get to know law enforcement while breaking down cultural and language barriers.
Wednesday’s class focused on how officers and the media work together to keep Las Vegas informed. Participants were asked to step up to the podium and hold their own mock press conferences, answering questions as part of their hands-on lesson led by the department’s Public Information Officer, Luis Vidal.
Building community connections
“It is so important for us to have a positive relationship with the news, because it is our job to provide information; if we don’t do it, who will?” Vidal said.
Vidal said the department’s availability to clarify information is especially important for the Hispanic community.
“It is important for us to be available, to clarify information, and to always have a voice, specifically for the Hispanic community, so that there is no information that confuses you, so that you understand what is happening,” he said.
Overcoming cultural barriers
Capt. Noe Esparza of Metro’s Community Engagement Bureau said the program recognizes that trust levels with law enforcement may differ based on participants’ experiences in their native countries.
“In some other native countries, perhaps some of those relationships and trust levels are not there where they come from and it’s important for us to recognize that and know that so that we can build that trust and we can foster those relationships,” Esparza said.
Esparza said many participants start the program feeling timid or scared, but that changes as they get to know the officers who teach the courses.
“I can relate with a lot of these folks that come for the first time to one of our classes within the academy. They’re a little timid, perhaps a little scared, but once we get to know the officers, the phenomenal officers that teach these courses and presenters, that fear dissipates and that trust starts to build,” he said.
Through lessons like the media training, the department hopes participants carry what they learned back to their neighborhoods. The current class will graduate in two weeks.
To learn more about LVMPD’s Hispanic Citizen’s Police Academy, visit their official website.
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