Posted on 06/17/2007 12:36:41 PM PDT by TornadoAlley3
Wichita Police Chief Norman Williams met with more than 100 members of the city's Hispanic community Saturday to try to clear up misconceptions about how his officers deal with minorities.
A major concern was a fear that any illegal immigrant in Wichita would be immediately arrested if he or she has any contact with Wichita police.
"When a citizen is the victim of a crime, we do not ask if they are documented or undocumented," Williams said.
The meeting at Horace Mann Dual Language Magnet School was arranged by Hispanos Unidos, a branch of Sunflower Community Action.
Organization president Lore Quintero said she hoped the meeting would strengthen ties between police and Hispanics.
The topics included a suggestion that police place bilingual Neighborhood Watch signs in Hispanic neighborhoods.
Police were receptive to the idea, but later said the organization that makes the signs would have to approve the idea.
The group also discussed concerns of Hispanics who think they are sometimes stopped because of their race.
"The Wichita Police Department does not tolerate racial profiling," Williams said. "We have policies, we have procedures, that allow us to address allegations of racial profiling."
Williams encouraged anyone who thinks he or she has been the victim of profiling to file a complaint with the department's professional standards unit.
"What assurances are there that there won't be reprisals against a person who files a complaint?" one audience member asked.
"If we determine an officer retaliates because of a complaint -- when someone commits that violation, it's termination," Williams said.
He encouraged those in the audience to get to know the officers who patrol their neighborhoods. He also suggested that they consider signing up for the Department's Citizen Police Academy.
Emira Palacios, who led the discussion, urged those in the audience to report all crimes in their neighborhoods.
"We want you to file reports," she said. "If somebody asks you for your immigration papers, get the name of the police officer."
Quintero said afterward that she thought the meeting had been a success.
"We don't want our Hispanic community to be afraid of the police," she said.
The topics included a suggestion that police place bilingual Neighborhood Watch signs in Hispanic neighborhoods.
“We want you to file reports,” she said. “If somebody asks you for your immigration papers, get the name of the police officer.”
A new Wichita line, man.
“We want you to file reports,” she said. “If somebody asks you for your immigration papers, get the name of the police officer.”
A new Wichita line, man.
Next comes the “alto” signs..
That about sums it up.
Wichita is lost.
Well that was a dumb move.
why negotiate???
if the lib/dems/no cajones republicans all led by fat ted and his lap dog jorge bush have their way...wichita will have to yield to all illegal demands!!!!
GASP! Criminals afraid of getting arrested?!
Don’t confuse them by asking questions impossible to answer.
Wichita sounds like a sanctuary city to me.
they form little special-interest groups and are heard, and bowed to, and groveled to.
If an anti-illegal immigrant goup formed they would be run out of town, not listened to.
I am so SICK of these little group that are treated as if they were elected representatives!!
That about sums it up.
Or as Lore Quintero so eloquently put it in the article, "We don't want our Hispanic community to be afraid of the police."
We need some tough talk from local police forces to these unofficial, unelected ‘representatives’.
CALL! CALL! CALL! CALL! AND KEEP CALLING TILL THE LINES FRY!
WRITE! WRITE! WRITE! WRITE! TILL YOU RUN OUT OF INK IN YOUR PEN!
Bombard the Democrats as well, especially the ones that ran on an anti illegal immigration plank and the ones in marginal districts who could be vulnerable. keep pounding on them. This is a bipartisan issue not a Conservative or Liberal issue BUT AN AMERICAN issue.
In any screening process you must profile in order to k now who not to profile.
To put it another way, in order to ban profiling a certain group they must be profiled to determine whether or not they belong to the group that is not to be profiled.
Or, Oh Heck, go figure.
QUISLING: a synonym for traitor, someone who collaborates with the invaders of his country.
Just say NO to Illegal Alien Amnesty!! Keep calling!! It’s NOT OVER!!
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