The Dallas Police Department is hosting a series of meetings to address concerns that some residents in North Texas might have about calling law enforcement in light of Trump’s immigration enforcement.
With President Trump actively pushing back against illegal immigration, the Dallas Police Department is concerned some communities may be reluctant to report crimes, fearful of interacting with law enforcement. To address the issue, the Dallas PD is hosting several meetings, the first of which kicked off on Wednesday evening.
Lt. Eddie Reyes said the department hopes the outreach will improve trust with the local community. Reyes is helping to lead the Dallas PD’s Latino Community Outreach Program, known as UNIDOS.
“It takes us so long to build that trust. And for something like this to come – we feel that this could possibly set us back. But we’re doing everything that we can. We’re doing our due diligence to get out there in front of the community and let them know that nothing’s changed – that our priority is to go out there and respond to crimes,” he said, per NBC.
The City’s Office of Community Police Oversight and faith-based community groups will attend the meetings. The meetings will address misinformation surrounding immigration policies that may discourage people from contacting the police. Guests are encouraged to ask questions during the sessions.
Reyes insists the Dallas Police Department does not work directly with organizations like ICE, despite rumors on social media.
“That’s not true. So that’s what we’re trying to get out to the public. It’s normal operations for us, we’re out there to report the crimes and to make sure that we’re doing the very best that we can to ensure that the public knows that everybody has the same rights,” explained Reyes.
While the department has already hosted two sessions, three scheduled dates remain:
- Thursday, February 13 – 7:00 p.m: Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church – 5605 Bernal Dr., Dallas, TX 75212
- Tuesday, February 18 – 7:30 p.m: St. Bernard Catholic Church- 1404 Old Gate Ln, Dallas, TX 75218
- Thursday, February 20 – 6:30 p.m: Pleasant Grove Unidos – 802 S. Buckner Blvd, Dallas, TX 75217
Additional community sessions in Dallas will be announced in the following weeks, according to Dallas PD.