Dalton Police Department to host second Citizens Police Academy in Spanish

Dalton Police Department's Police Services Center building in Dalton, Ga.
Dalton Police Department's Police Services Center building in Dalton, Ga.

The Dalton Police Department will host a Spanish session of the Citizens Police Academy beginning Aug. 22.

The classes will be held each Tuesday for six weeks from 6 - 9 p.m. in the Rock Bridge building at 114 South Hamilton Street, according to a press release from the DPD.

The DPD has held a Citizens Police Academy for nearly two decades as part of a strategic plan to improve its relationship with the community. The first condensed version for Spanish-speakers was held last year and was met with great enthusiasm.

The program gives participants a behind the scenes look at what goes on in the police department so they can better understand police operations.

Reaching every segment of the community helps everyone, said Chief Jason Parker in a press release. He said having a sizable group of people who are non-English speakers creates a communication barrier between them and police and other emergency personnel.

Parker said research shows that people typically only report around 40 percent of the crime they know of, and the percentage is even lower in minority communities. Those groups may not know they can work with the police department to solve and prevent crimes, he said.

"Criminals are aware of that presence and intentionally target these people as victims of robbery, assault, and fraud," Parker said.

"One of the fundamentals of successful policing and crime prevention is the ability of the police to receive cooperation and information during criminal investigations," he said. "Without that trust and support, we are much less effective."

People interested in the program can get more information online at daltonpd.com/cpa_espanol.

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