NORFOLK, V.A. (WAVY) — Norfolk Police are holding their first ever Hispanic Community Police Academy graduation on Wednesday night.
31 people were part of the 12-week program started to increase the interaction with Hispanic citizens and Norfolk officers.
“The Norfolk Police Department knows the frustration when a person comes to this country as an immigrant and has difficulty knowing or learning laws and regulations, so that’s why it’s started,” said Officer Juvenal Valdez.
Police say it was the first of its kind in the region. Once a week, bilingual instructors met with the participants.
“They never knew how forensics worked, they didn’t know if they were a victim of a robbery, who would they call, where do they go?” said Officer Valdez.
They not only gained knowledge of what officers do, but also created relationships with them.
“The Hispanic community is very frightened of police. This is a great opportunity to meet other officers,” he said.
Officers hope the graduates share their story to encourage others to join the next Hispanic Community Police Academy.
Police officers passed along this article to us. It’s a story from one of their Hispanic CPA members.
The graduation is open to the public from 6:30-9:30 p.m. at 901 Asbury Ave.