Voiceover: 00.00 This is The Beat - a podcast series that keeps you in the know about the latest community policing topics facing our nation Pradine Saint-Fort: 00.08 Hello. My name is Pradine Saint-Fort, and I'm a program associate in the Center on Immigration and Justice at the Vera Institute of Justice. In 2010, the Vera Institute and the COPS office partnered to produce a guide for law enforcement agencies looking to either begin or to enhance their work with immigrant communities. The guide is a national report entitled "Engaging Police in Immigrant Communities: Promising Practices From the Field." This report profiles promising practices from 10 policing agencies from across the country. This podcast is part of a series of recordings that accompany the report, and each podcast is in a Q and A format that provides practical advice from agency personnel who have been involved in the promising practices featured in our report. In this podcast, I am joined by Officer Sergio Fidelis of the Clearwater Police Department, CPD, in Florida, which has several practices featured in our report. Officer Fidelis is currently the Hispanic Liaison Officer and has an office in the Hispanic Outreach Center, known as the HOC. He is here today to talk about how agencies can continue community programs when there are transitions taking place on the law enforcement side. Thank you for joining us, Officer Fidelis. Sergio Fidelis: 01.17 Thank you for having me. Saint-Fort: 01.18 In our Promising Practices report, we discuss the Hispanic Outreach Center and discuss the role and the work of the Hispanic Liaison Officer. Could you please describe your role and your position? Fidelis: 01.28 Sure. My role with the CPD is two-fold. I follow through on cases that involve the Hispanic community as victims or witnesses and conduct uniform and plainclothes operations and investigations. I also maintain a connection between the Clearwater Police Department and the Hispanic community by working in the Hispanic Outreach Center. I have an office in the center which allows me to work alongside a number of individuals and nonprofit organizations that provide quality services to the Latino community. Saint-Fort: 01.58 For the investigations part of your role, did you get any specific trainings to prepare you for the types of cases you might encounter, and types of cases you might experience in your role as the Hispanic Liaison Officer? Fidelis: 02.09 Yes. The police department provided me with training related to domestic violence, sex crimes investigation, gang investigations, and human trafficking. The trainings have been very helpful and gave me a better understanding of the Hispanic community's public safety needs and what I need to address those needs. Saint-Fort: 02.27 So, you're the department's fourth Hispanic Liaison Officer. I hear it's sometime difficult to sustain good relationships with the community, especially when there are changes in agency personnel. How did you transition into your current role? Fidelis: 03.09 Well, my supervisor played a big role in my transition. The Hispanic Liaison Officer position always has a supervisor who is responsible for guiding the new liaison. The process involves a lot of introductions and trainings. Over my first few weeks, my supervisor introduced me to the Hispanic leaders in the community and to staff of the HOC so that I would know them and they would know me. He always trained me on policy and procedures so I would know the rules of this specialized position. And before I went into the community to do presentations, he gave me some presentation ideas and templates. Having a supervisor who knows the ins and outs of the position and is committed to the liaison's success definitely helps. Saint-Fort: 03.27 It sounds like you definitely had a lot of agency support when you started the position, and that's great. Let's now turn to talking a little bit about how the community adjusted, and how community members are impacted when the liaison changes. Does the department have anything in place to help the community kind of keep its connections to services the liaison provides? Fidelis: 03.48 There are a couple of things. The cell phone number for the Hispanic Liaison Officer always remains the same, from liaison to liaison. So if a witness or victim calls that number, they know for sure that they will reach the Hispanic Liaison Officer, whoever that officer might be. This phone number has been distributed to the Latino community for many years. The community relies on the program. They trust that it will be there and that's extremely important. The Clearwater Police Department updates the agency website with a picture and bio of the current liaison officer. We try to be very transparent with the community. We want them to know who is serving them. We also really want the community to be able to reach out to us if they need anything. And they do reach out. Whether I'm walking on the street or driving in my assigned vehicle, people feel comfortable approaching me. Saint-Fort: 04.42 That definitely speaks a lot to your efforts. What are some of the new initiatives you've started and how does the community respond? Fidelis: 04.49 Well, when I began I wanted to really understand and target the needs of the Clearwater Hispanic community. One way I did this was by playing soccer with the kids in the neighborhoods. I became like an alternative School Resource Officer. The kids loved it. I learned that gang concerns were an issue and I worked on gang suppression and gave presentations in churches and schools on this topic. I also learned that robbery was a huge crime issue for the Hispanic community, so I gave talks about the importance of depositing money into banks. I've appeared on a number of Spanish language media outlets, TV, radio, newspapers, to reach a broader audience. Saint-Fort: 05.32 How did you address the language barriers between CPD officers and the Hispanic community? Fidelis: 05.39 I wanted to be a resource to fellow officers who wanted to communicate with the Hispanic community. I wanted to learn some basic Spanish. I worked with command staff to make the Rosetta Stone language learning program available for some 50 officers to use during their shifts. All of these initiatives have been extremely well-received by the community and my fellow officers. And because of these programs and other department efforts, gang activity is down, robbery activity is down, and the community is generally safer and their quality of life has improved. Saint-Fort: 06.12 Those are some concrete results. What are some of the lessons that you would share with your successor? Fidelis: 06.18 Trust is number one. The Hispanic Outreach Officer must have the trust of the community. The officer also has to be approachable. We work in uniform to make the community feel more comfortable interacting with police officers. It's important that the liaison is able to encourage people to come to the uniform. I've learned that it is best for a liaison to address any major concerns early and to clearly communicate his or her role and expectations to the community. I would advise my successor to be present during major cases but never ignore minor cases. Anyone who takes this position needs to understand that he or she can improve the lives of thousands of people by gaining the trust of the Hispanic Latino community. Saint-Fort: 07.02 That's great advice, and some really important lessons. Do you have any additional advice for agencies who are looking to maintain some continuity in their program when they have changes in staff? Fidelis: 07.12 I believe that, first and foremost, agencies need to be fully on board with their community outreach programs, from the chief of police to the officers on the street. This buy-in and support are important because it usually takes a number of agency staff, including supervisors, to keep a program operational. So, they have to be aware of the program and be committed to its mission. I would also advise agencies to encourage several officers to learn about the day-to-day role of the program and to participate in community events. This practice makes sure that there are several members of staff who are at least very familiar with some of the inner workings of the program and could potentially take on the responsibility of running the program. I think these efforts lay a great foundation for ensuring continuity. Saint-Fort: 08.01 Thank you very much for your insightful comments. Fidelis: 08.04 Thank you for having me. It was an honor. Voiceover: 08.11 The Beat was brought to you by the United States Department of Justice COPS Office. The COPS Office helps to keep our nation’s communities safe by giving grants to law enforcement agencies, developing community policing publications, developing partnerships, and solving problems. 1