NORTH LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — The North Las Vegas Police Department welcomed one of its largest classes to its Hispanic Citizens Academy on Wednesday, March 27.
"We appreciate you trusting in us to have you here as part of this program," said one of the officers. "We hope that you learn a lot throughout this program."
The academy helps people in the Spanish-speaking community in North Las Vegas learn more about what the police department does on a daily, clears up misconceptions you might have about the department, and also help bridge the divide between the Hispanic community and law enforcement officers.
"I think as a Hispanic community, we need to learn what law enforcement does. We see them working hard during events, working a lot on the streets, but we only see that side and now what is behind the scenes," said Enrique Vega, a Las Vegan.
Martinez is from Mexico but has called Las Vegas his home for many years. He said in Mexico it's difficult to trust officers, which at times could cloud people's judgment of officers in the U.S.
He said the academy could help him better understand the officers here.
"It's an ideal place to learn and to know," said Vega. " As citizens, we can share the information with our Latin brothers and say, 'Hey, everything is ok with the police here in North Las Vegas.'"
During week one of the 10-week program, students met the different leaders within the police department and got a synopsis of the different divisions and the daily activities officers do.
Member Jenniffer Escalante said she would like to learn about security and the tools available to her and her community to keep them safe.
"There a lot of information that I don't have or know, but that's why we are here, to learn," said Escalante.
Both Martinez and Escalante hope to share what they learned at the academy with their community.
"The more information we have, we could use to help other people," said Escalante.
