2016

Officers of all ranks from Mecklenburg and Union Counties traveled to Mexico City and Guanajuato State in September 2016 for the first Latino Initiative program. The goal of the program was to better understand the Hispanic and Latino communities they serve in North Carolina. In addition to traveling in Mexico City to learn about the culture and history, the group toured a correctional facility in San Miguel de Allende and the state’s coordination, command, control, communications, technology and intelligence (C5i) in Silao. The delegation also visited rural communities in which at least 50% of the families have a family member who has migrated to the United States. Officers traveled to the community of San Nicolás del Carmen and engaged with local municipal police in the town of San Luis de la Paz. The group had the honor of meeting Guanajuato Governor Miguel Márquez Márquez and several of his top public safety officials. Participants returned to the United States with a belief that cross-cultural understanding is key to effective community policing.