You’re probably thinking, “What does the chief in the well-known international ski resort community of Vail, Colorado, know about policing in a multicultural community?” Well, I’m not thinking of the differences in culture between snowboarders and skiers. Vail’s guests include tourists from many different countries, many of whom are from South and Central America. More importantly, over 30 percent of Eagle County’s population identify as Latino.

Having spent almost 20 years as a peace officer in southern California before coming to Vail, I know the importance of building relationships between the police and our immigrant population—relationships that are built on a strong foundation and that exist before an incident or problem. That is why the Law Enforcement Immigrant Alliance (LEIA) was formed over 10 years ago. This program is a collaborative effort between the policing leaders and immigrant community leaders from Eagle County. Through LEIA, we work with community-service agencies to inform and educate the immigrant community. The current co-chairs of LEIA are Eagle County Sheriff James Van Beek and Catholic Charities Regional Director Marian McDonough.

LEIA’s mission is “to build trust between law enforcement and the immigrant community through education and community outreach.” Recently, immigrant communities, like the rest of the world, have felt the pain of pandemic hardships. In response, LEIA’s outreach efforts expanded to help meet basic needs. For example, outreach in 2021 included providing information on mobile COVID-19 vaccine and testing clinics, mental health awareness, domestic violence awareness, “Know Your Rights” presentations, and getting the word out about food banks.

LEIA has been recognized in the Final Report of the President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing by the U.S. Department of Justice, along with the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Office’s L. Anthony Sutin Award for Innovative Law Enforcement and Community Partnerships. LEIA also received the IACP’s Leadership in Human and Civil Rights Award.

One of the most successful programs of LEIA has been a Spanish language Facebook page that reports factual information and helps dispel concerns from the immigrant community. This worked well recently in regard to uncertainty surrounding federal enforcement efforts of undocumented persons.

I go into the details of the LEIA program because I believe it is a good example of what police can do to build trusting, productive, positive relationships in a multicultural society.

We should reflect the communities we serve, understand the cultures we serve, and recognize that outreach and collaboration build trust in multicultural societies.

Policing is the foundation of many communities. We should reflect the communities we serve, understand the cultures we serve, and recognize that outreach and collaboration build trust in multicultural societies. To that end, I urge all agencies to review the resources currently available on the IACP’s Trust Building Campaign page, which provides policy considerations and tangible strategies to support police and communities in their efforts to engage in a productive dialogue, form strong partnerships, and identify meaningful solutions.

It is incumbent upon police leaders to reevaluate, recommit, and renew our focus on sustaining trusting relationships with all segments of the community. We cannot be complacent in our efforts. The Trust Building Campaign will provide every agency with a chance to assess its current status, identify areas for potential change, and allow it to take the steps necessary to strengthen the vital relationship with their communities. d