Law enforcement agencies should build relationships based on trust with immigrant communities.

Department
Number
1.9
Related Pillar
Pillar 1: Trust and Legitimacy

1.9 Law enforcement agencies should build relationships based on trust with immigrant communities.

SPPD is committed to community

The Saint Paul Police Department has strong and longstanding relationships with the diverse communities who live in the city. These relationships were built through countless programs curated to serve specific cultural groups. These initiatives include staffing Spanish-speaking officers at the Mexican Consulate to meet with families and dozens of other non-enforcement immigrant programs. This includes the U visa program which has seen a significant and consistent increase in certifications.  As a testament to the department’s successful efforts, Chief Thomas Smith was called to testify in front of Congress in 2012 specifically about the department’s community outreach programs into the Somali and Oromo diaspora. 

St. Paul immigrants, don't be afraid to call us, police say in four languages
Pioneer Press | Nov. 30, 2016

Task Status: Established Practice

1.9 Law enforcement agencies should build relationships based on trust with immigrant communities.

SPPD is committed to racial equity

The Saint Paul Police Department supports many specialty organizations such as the local chapters of the Latino Peace Officer Association, Asian Officers Association, Black Police Officers Association, Somali American Police Association and the Association of Women Police. These organizations work within their respective communities to recruit and mentor potential police officer candidates. They also promote advancement for their members and provide training and study assistance for those taking promotional tests. 

Task Status: Established Practice

1.9.1 Decouple federal immigration enforcement from routine local policing for civil enforcement and non-serious crime.

SPPD supports our immigrant communities

The Saint Paul Police Department does not ask about immigration status and department policy prohibits bias profiling. The city does not operate its programs for the purpose of enforcing federal immigration laws as stated in Chapter 44 of the city administrative code. 

St. Paul mayor and police chief to Muslims: 'We will stand with you'
Star Tribune | Feb. 8, 2017

Saint Paul Police Chief Axtell Against Police Immigration Checks
Saint Paul Pioneer Press / March 2, 2017

 

Reference Data

City Ordinance Sec.44.03

Task Status: Established Practice

1.9.1 Decouple federal immigration enforcement from routine local policing for civil enforcement and non-serious crime.

SPPD serves and protects all of our communities regardless of immigration status

Saint Paul police officers working as federal task force members are prohibited from participating in federal administrative immigration actions.

Task Status: Established Practice

1.9.1 Decouple federal immigration enforcement from routine local policing for civil enforcement and non-serious crime.

SPPD serves all victims

The Saint Paul Police Department works to ensure the safety of immigrant victims facing a precarious immigration status. Further, the department participates in the U visa and T visa processes.

For immigrant crime victims, St. Paul speeds visa process to push cooperation with police

Pioneer Press / June 11, 2018

 

Task Status: Established Practice

1.9.2 Ensure reasonable and equitable language access for all persons who have encounters with police or who enter the criminal justice system.

SPPD employs officers fluent in community languages

The Saint Paul Police Department recruits officers who are fluent in languages other than English. The department’s commitment to reflecting the communities it serves is evidenced in its recruiting and hiring practices (see Recommendation 1.8). 

Saint Paul Police Department Officer Language List:

Arabic Burmese Cambodian
Danish Finnish French
German Hmong Ibgo
Italian Japanese Karen
Kiswahili Korean Laotian
Oromo Russian Serbo-Croatian
Sign Language Somali Spanish
Swahili Tagalog Tagalog/Filipino
Thai Vietnamese English

Task Status: Established Practice

1.9.2 Ensure reasonable and equitable language access for all persons who have encounters with police or who enter the criminal justice system.

SPPD is committed to equal access

The Saint Paul Police Department has contractual and less formal interpretive resources for officers in the field to provide trusted service with respect with a common understanding. Every person deserves to be heard.

Task Status: Established Practice

1.9.2 Ensure reasonable and equitable language access for all persons who have encounters with police or who enter the criminal justice system.

SPPD publishes in five languages and is committed to more

Saint Paul Police Department documents are published in five languages used by community members: English, Spanish, Hmong, Karen, and Somali. The department continually invests in additional language resources for its publications.

The department has a policy guiding employees on effective communication with persons who are deaf, hard of hearing, deaf/blind, have hearing loss and/or for whom English is a second language.  This policy was developed and co-written with members of the deaf and blind community in 2018 and was updated again in 2020. 

Reference Data

G.O. 409.01

Task Status: Established Practice

1.9.2 Ensure reasonable and equitable language access for all persons who have encounters with police or who enter the criminal justice system.

SPPD partners with diverse community services

The Saint Paul Police Department regularly partners with government and non-government organizations to facilitate several missions including crime prevention. Many of these partners exist specifically to serve diverse communities residing in Saint Paul and are well established and often led by those who reflect that community. These partnerships are extremely valuable in bringing trusted service with respect to every person in Saint Paul.  In addition, the SPPD has four Community Engagement Specialists who assist the department in furthering our efforts in bridging gaps and better serving our community.

Task Status: Established Practice

1.9.3 The U.S. Department of Justice should not include civil immigration information in the FBI’s National Crime Information Center database.

SPPD Response

Not applicable for local law enforcement.

Reference Data

Not Applicable

Task Status: Not Applicable

Last Edited: March 20, 2017