EDGEWATER — The Rogers Park Police District is now offering CAPS meetings specifically for residents whose primary language is Spanish.
Police and Centro Romero, a community center at 6216 N. Clark St., have teamed up to hold monthly Community Alternative Policing Strategy meetings for those who use English as a second language. It's the only regular Spanish CAPS meeting in the city, said Mayra Gomez, a community organizer with the Rogers Park District
"The reason for this is to build trust among immigrants and to feel the confidence that they can walk into the police station to address any concerns," Gomez said.
It's part of a "new direction" the CAPS program is going in, she said, that works more directly with community organizations that serve the neighborhoods at large.
Gomez said outreach with Centro Romero was a natural choice — Spanish-speaking residents on the Far North Side have been utilizing the organization for years when it came to voicing safety concerns.
"They were already going to Centro Romero, or their schools, to tell them about what was going on, so we wanted to go to them where they feel comfortable," Gomez said.
It's not uncommon for residents to go to the center to raise community safety concerns, as well as safely open up about personal safety issues like domestic violence, Gomez said.
Gomez also said it was a place where residents ask general questions about everyday life, like immigration and tenants' rights laws, that oftentimes come up during regular CAPS meetings where Spanish-speakers may not be able to get the information and resources they need.
The meetings at Centro Romero are designed to also help teach all residents the basics of calling 911 and how to communicate with police, Gomez said.
From 1999-2014, the district held Spanish meetings regularly, but took a break during 2015 and early 2016.
Friday's meeting will be the second since beginning the meetings again.
In other areas, like Albany Park, police have also reached out to Latinos when it comes to fighting crime with special meetings held primarily in Spanish.
The next meeting is at 5:30 p.m. Friday.
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