South Carolina Chapter
President
David Nieves
Lexington County Sheriff's Department Supports First NLPOA Chapter in South Carolina
National
Latino Peace Officers Association starts up in Lexington County
Reference: By JULIA ROGERS
HOOK
Reference: South Carolina State Paper
Special to The State,
Dated June 22, 2006
Lexington County sheriff’s deputy David Nieves spent
Tuesday morning interpreting for three Hispanic residents in court on traffic
violations.
One of the violations involved a lack of car insurance. The defendants knew they
needed insurance but didn’t own the car and thought the owner had taken care of
it.
During his 20-year law enforcement career, Nieves has watched Hispanics struggle
with the legal process — and police struggle to communicate with them about it.
He hopes a new state organization will help fix those problems.
The state’s first chapter of the National Latino Peace Officers Association
recently formed in Lexington County.
The group will offer cultural diversity training, mentoring, networking and
recruitment services for members. Nieves said he hopes to attract bilingual
residents who can help interpret for police.
But the group also will focus on the Hispanic community, providing programs for
juveniles and help for adults adjusting to life in a new home.
“The biggest goal is to bridge the communications gap (between) the law
enforcement and Latino community across South Carolina,” said Nieves, who spent
most of his career in Aiken County before moving to Lexington County 1½ years
ago.
The state’s Hispanic population has been growing over the past decade, mirroring
a nationwide trend.
According to 2004 U.S. Census Bureau data, more than 120,000 Hispanics live in
South Carolina, up from 95,000 in 2000. Updated information isn’t available for
Lexington County, but the 2000 U.S. Census reported 4,146 Hispanics lived in the
county — a figure many believe is far below the actual number.
The National Latino Peace Officers Association, founded in 1972, has 15,000
members nationwide.
The organization is open to anyone, Nieves said. The local chapter’s board
includes law-enforcement officials as well as a USC professor, an attorney and
the chief operator for the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Midlands.
Membership is $60 a year and will include training in intercultural issues.
Monthly meetings will be at the Pine Ridge Police Department, Nieves said.
One of the primary goals will be educating Hispanics about the judicial system
and local laws.
It also will work to reduce juvenile delinquency and lessen tension in
predominantly Hispanic areas through community-based policing, said Sandra
Nieves, the community liaison for West Columbia and David Nieves’ wife.
“In most Spanish cultures, the man is the head of the home,” she said. “If an
officer is investigating something and doesn’t realize that they need to address
the man first, that could lead to problems right away.”
Aside from the language barrier and cultural differences, many Hispanic people
distrust police in their native countries, Sandra Nieves said.
“In many countries, law enforcement takes advantage of people and abuses its
power to the detriment of the citizens,” she said. “We want to teach new
arrivals to our state that the police are there to help them, not harm them.”
Maj. Larry Shea, spokesman for the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department, said
three sheriff’s deputies speak fluent Spanish, and 10 more speak some Spanish.
“In addition to their own duties, they all volunteer as interpreters in
investigations done by non-Spanish-speaking deputies,” said Maj. John Allard,
another department spokesman.
Shea also said that 30 deputies currently are learning Spanish.
The national group first was brought to the attention of Lexington County
assistant sheriff Keith Kirchner, who spoke to David Nieves about bringing it to
Lexington County.
“Chief Kirchner saw the merit of having an organization that targets the Latino
community, and Sheriff (James) Metts gave us his full support,” he said.
“The backing of the department will be one of the main things to make the
organization work in the community.”