Heated meeting
County's police chief responds to accusations by Hispanics
By Julia Torres Barden CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Photo illustration by Lisa Billings/Chesterfield Observer The incidence of Hispanics being robbed is becoming more common in the county. Immigrant workers are often targeted because they have a reputation for carrying large amounts of cash due to their distrust of banks.

What was supposed to be a relatively friendly meeting last week to educate the public on crimes against the Hispanic community ended up with Chesterfield police officials answering questions about alleged discrimination against legal and illegal Hispanics. An unidentified Hispanic male was the first to raise the issue of trust between his community and the county police, citing several examples of Latinos having their immigration status checked by officers after being pulled over for unrelated traffic infractions.

Carolina Velez, a vocal member of the Virginia Immigrant People's Coalition, joined the questioning, accusing the Chesterfield police of being racist and specifically targeting Hispanics in the county. "I feel like the Chesterfield police look at me with racism. I feel different in this county. I feel all the police are looking at me, because I look Hispanic, and saying, 'You just wait.'"

Julia Torres Barden/Chesterfield Observer Carolina Velez becomes frustrated while asking questions about the police department's interaction with Hispanics.

She then compared the county police with the Richmond Police Department, which she claims is more lenient in its treatment of immigrants. "Is your department not aware that there is a huge difference between the perception of Richmond police [as not pursuing immigration status] and the Chesterfield Police Department? Your department is thought of as being racist toward Latinos."

Police Chief Thierry Dupuis responded, "I strongly disagree with that. Public perception is difficult. One of the reasons we're here is to teach that we need the community as much as the community needs us."

He went on to assure Velez that he would look into the issue of racism in comparing his police officers with the Richmond Police Department.

The meeting was advertised in the Hispanic community as an op- portunity for them to be educated on crime prevention. The county's Hispanic liaison Juan Santacoloma distributed flyers both in Spanish and English detailing an increase in crimes, especially robberies, against Hispanics in the county. Illegal Hispanics are often targeted for robbery because they tend to carry large amounts of cash since they are fearful opening a bank account might reveal their immigration status. About two years ago, former Police Chief Carl Baker reported many of the armed street robberies against Hispanics were perpetrated by African-Americans.

Santacoloma explained that he set up the event because "the meeting is an important piece of the relationship between Latinos and Chesterfield County police officers. Latinos are becoming frequent victims of criminals. [Our] police officers want to approach the community to know more about it and to find ways to prevent crimes and keep Chesterfield County safe. I think and feel the most important part of this initial meeting is to start to build trust between Latinos and our police officers."

Several banks were in attendance to help the 100+ attendees open bank accounts. One bank representative clarified that Social Security numbers are not required to open an account.

"A lot of people are afraid to put their money in the bank because they're worried they'll lose it if they are taken out of the country. This is not true. That's your money, and you will receive it," explained Raul Fuentes from SunTrust Bank.

Community Police Officer George Fisher spent the first half of the meeting educating Hispanics on crime prevention tips (see box), but also stressed, "Please, please, please don't carry large amounts of money."

Velez, a native of Columbia, continually put the county police on the defensive, posing questions specifically about the department's relationship with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), a division of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

"Do you have an agreement with ICE that we don't know about?" asked Velez.

"No," responded Dupuis, "but we are empowered to make arrests. Our agency is not interested in pursuing agreements with ICE, but we will uphold the law. We're here tonight to help you. We all take an oath to uphold the laws of the commonwealth and the county. If there is a federal warrant out for someone's arrest, we are going to do our job."

Referencing more immigration-aggressive counties in Virginia like Prince William, Dupuis continued, "We are not like some jurisdictions in Virginia taking up active immigration activity, but we are here to enforce the laws of Chesterfield County. When there is a warrant out for someone's arrest, we will arrest."

Building trust between Latinos and the county police was the desired goal of the meeting. Referencing her working relationship with Fisher, Velez said, "We want to trust you, but [Fisher] will not continue having the positive relationship with our community because of ICE."

At that point, Dupuis tried to bring the crowd's focus back to crime prevention and off of immigration saying, "We have to walk a fine line. I'd like to see more involvement from the legal Hispanic community in helping to build bridges. It takes time to build trust."

Dupuis revealed that he, himself, is an immigrant and that English is not his native language. He delivered his closing comments in French, translating them to conclude, "I understand your challenges. We [the Chesterfield County Police Department] treat all groups with the same level of service."
 

Crime prevention tips
Personal safety
• Be aware. Know what's going on around you.
• Be on guard during "transition" times (going to your car, entering your home).
Scan the area and look for anything suspicious.
• Park in places with good lighting, and avoid isolated areas.
• Always carry your cell phone.
• Don't be afraid to call the police, even if you're in the country illegally.
• Always assume that a brandished weapon is real.
• Look for descriptive features of your attacker (scars, tattoos).

Home safety
• Good lighting is the cheapest form of security.
• Keep shrubbery low and trimmed.
• Be sure that your home address is displayed clearly, so that the police can find you.
• Alert a neighbor when you are going out of town.