Police Reach Immigrants Via Cable

Merced police are taking to the airwaves to bridge the communications gap with the city’s growing Southeast Asian community.

Police have been airing videotapes each Tuesday and Friday on Merced’s cable channels to inform the Asian community of the laws and their rights.

“We’re trying to reach all people in their own language,” said Sgt. Gary Austin. “Sometimes people don’t understand why things work as they do. That’s what we’re doing--telling them what their rights and the laws are.”

Southeast Asian refugees have flocked to the San Joaquin Valley since the Vietnam War and have become one of the region’s largest minority groups.

Austin said he has met with local Hmong leaders to improve relations between the refugee community and police, which have been strained since the department lost its Hmong-speaking community aide last summer. The city is seeking a replacement.

That loss means more calls to Merced Lao Family Community Inc., many of them expressing doubt that police can help them, said director Houa Vang.

“I think mostly people feel like the police will not pay attention to them,” Vang said. “I think sometimes when people call police they get a late response. They take too long. That’s something else we’ve heard from the community.”

But Police Cmdr. Tony Dossetti believes the department deals well with the Southeast Asian community.

“I think we’ve got a real good relationship with the minority community. We’re very sensitive to their needs, and we’re trying to work with people to work out the problems in the neighborhoods,” he said.

Dossetti said all calls are answered according to their severity, and that could account for delayed response times.

Vang said the refugee community is mostly concerned about teen-agers joining gangs. Vang suggested that the teens are lured by money to join.

“The refugee community is very worried. Mostly, these parents are low-income people and can’t afford to help them buy what they want,” Vang said.