In my May segment at CyTUnidos, Hector Gerardo, Long Island organizer for the New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) joined me in the studio. We spoke about the Department Of Justice (DOJ) agreement with the Suffolk County Police Department (SCPD) following an investigation of SCPD discriminatory policing practices.
In the interview, Gerardo explains why the DOJ launched an investigation into discriminatory policing by the SCPD after the murder of Marcelo Lucero in 2008, and why the Latino community in Suffolk were afraid to go to the Suffolk Police to report a crime. In December 2013, the DOJ and the SCPD reached an agreement, which calls for the SCPD to implement new and enhanced policies and procedures to ensure nondiscrimination of police services to Latino communities in Suffolk County.
Among the DOJ Agreement mandates, the SCPD must provide meaningful access to police services for individuals with limited English proficiency, strengthen outreach efforts in Latino communities, and develop and maintain a true Community Oriented Policing Enforcement (COPE) program throughout the county.
Although the DOJ is responsible for supervising and monitoring the agreement, which is in effect for the next three years, Gerardo asks the advocacy community and all of Suffolk County’s community members to work together to monitor and enforce the agreement.
If you have any further questions for Hector Gerardo regarding the Department of Justice Agreement he can be reached at Suffolk@nyclu.org or 631-650-2301.
Here is the link for the complete interview in Spanish.
