DEPUTIES CONNECT WITH SPANISH-SPEAKING COMMUNITY

Academy looks to break down barriers in calling for help

In a bid to foster trust and cultivate relationships, San Diego County deputies recently connected online with three dozen Spanishspeaking community members during an inaugural, five-week academy.

The academy began in January and ended with a drive-by ceremony last month. It covered issues such as traffic stops, immigration, gangs, hate crimes and domestic violence during weekly, two-hour Zoom sessions.

The sessions were held in Spanish. Some in the Spanish-speaking community — as deputies acknowledged — don’t always trust in law enforcement and call 911 as a last resort. The reasons include their immigration status, the perception of police in their homeland and past negative interactions between their family members and deputies or officers.

“This academy was designed to make connections and remove any possible barriers when it comes to the community’s safety, especially when it comes to calling 9-1-1 for help,” Sheriff Bill Gore said in a statement.

The Sheriff’s Department has long faced criticism over issues that affect the Spanish-speaking community, including the department’s history of collaboration with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. In recent years, the department also has faced scrutiny from Latinos and others over the high-profile deaths of Sergio Weick in 2016 and Jonathon Coronel in 2017. Both men were shot by deputies.

Officials said the academy helped participants understand the inner workings of the Sheriff ’s Department and humanized the badge.

“It really helped paint these deputies in a different light,” said Alejandro Tamayo, the San Diego County Office of Education’s project specialist for the Migrant

Education Program, which partnered with the Sheriff ’s Department to recruit participants.

Among the deputies who joined the sessions were two sons of immigrant parents: Deputies Marcial Lopez, who grew up in south San Diego, and Sgt. Ruben Medina, who grew up in the Central Valley, where he worked on farms.

“For participants to really see that goes a long way,” Tamayo said.

Lopez said the academy may be unable to change some perceptions of the department. “But at least we’re making an effort,” he said. “I think it’s a great start, and hopefully we can continue to build on this,” he said.

Nadia Moshirian Binderup, the department’s community inclusion director, said the plan was to host another session in the fall, “but because of the tremendous interest, we’re going to eye a summer session to keep momentum and relationships going.”