Norcross PD Chief: We're Taking Steps to Better Assist Hispanic Community

Norcross Police Chief Warren Summers has one simple philosophy for his department.

"The citizens and people inside Norcross have to come first," he said at Wednesday's PDC meeting.

Summers was the guest speaker at the weekly meeting with local business owners and residents at 45 South Cafe. "If the officers don't take care of the citizens first, we don't provide good customer service. Then you all are going to look elsewhere for your police services, and we're not going to exist."

• Click here to read what else the police chief said in the meeting.

That's why he's making an extra effort to police the area that has more reported crime: the east side of Buford Highway. After annexing much of the area in January 2012, it's increased Norcross' total population to 14,000 residents and its Hispanic population to 40 percent.

The Hispanic community in particular is one of the areas that the department is concentrating on. Police are seeing an increase in reported robberies among them on the east side, which Summers also mentioned at the Norcross City Council retreat in January.

"The concern that I have about that, No. 1, is that those folks over there are being victims of crimes, and we've got to do something about that," he said.

Summers also explained how the crime could affect downtown and the west side of Buford Highway, which doesn't see as many reported incidents. 

"It's a short walk, folks, from over there to over here," he said. "If I don't do something about the robberies happening over there, the crime over there, it's going to spill over. It's going to happen."

A major issue that the police department is seeing is the number of unreported robberies and other crimes in the Hispanic community, mainly because it doesn't trust the police due to their immigration status, the chief said.

"I'm not [worried about] immigration," he said. "People do not understand that the city police do not enforce immigration laws. That is a big concern that this community has with Norcross Police, but not just Norcross Police, but all police."

The department's been able to gain some of their trust by hiring more Spanish-speaking employees. After a Puerto Rican officer spoke to a Latin American family about an alleged robbery, they directed her to a neighbor who was apparently robbed by the same suspect but didn't report it. The same officer spoke to that family, gained their trust and was able to get a better description of the suspect, according to Summers.

The department is partnering with Hispanic organizations and relevant people in the area, too. The Latin American Association, the Norcross United Methodist Church and District 96 Rep. Pedro "Pete" Marin are just a few of them. Summers himself is attending forums and other meetings for Hispanics to speak about the police department. While he has a translator with him at these meetings, Summers is taking the steps to learn Spanish, too.

Another partnership is with local banks so that residents are aware that there's another option to carrying cash and are less likely targets.

Lastly, Norcross officers are making a huge effort in inviting the Hispanic community to downtown events such as the Norcross Car Show. They post flyers in Spanish in the apartment complexes and churches, something that goes above and beyond a police officer's duty.

See also:

• Norcross Police Chief: 2012 Crime Stats Are 'New Normal'