LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — At La Bonita Supermarket in North Las Vegas, Wednesday, neighbors gathered for pan dulce, and conversation with North Las Vegas Police Department officers.
“It’s important to reach out to the Hispanic community because we want to build that trust and foster that relationship with them,” said Cpt. Alex Rodríguez.
Cpt. Rodriguez said many immigrants carry fear from their countries of origin, and some hesitate to report on crimes.
“I know in today’s world, there’s a lot of people where they have fear because of the immigration status, and we want to make sure that they understand that we’re in the community with them, and we want to make sure that we build a relationship with them,” Rodriguez said.
For attendees, it was a chance to see law enforcement in a different light.
“We want to create a new generation of law-abiding Latinos, we want to know how they can address their issues legally and lawfully without getting in police problems,” said attendee Al Rojas.
Rojas said the turnout at the event was encouraging and proof that dialogue is possible.
“Latinos believe in family, god, jobs, security, freedom, capitalism, education, those are very safe, aligned values that are aligned with law-abiding citizens,” Rojas said.
Both the department and community leaders said these conversations help break down barriers and build safer neighborhoods for everyone.
“We can have a dialogue, and we do have some Spanish-speaking officers if there’s that challenge, or people not speaking English, we can have those conversations in a more relaxed environment,” Rodriguez said.
The North Las Vegas Police Department said events will continue throughout the year at different La Bonita Supermarkets locations.
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