Sheriff, Mexican Consul Plan Pamphlet on Laws

The Ventura County Sheriff’s Department and the Mexican Consul in Oxnard have begun meeting to promote better understanding between law enforcement and Mexican immigrants living in the county.

Specifically, the Sheriff’s Department and consul plan to publish and distribute a pamphlet written in Spanish explaining areas where Mexican and United States law differs.

For example, in Mexico it is legal to drink while you are driving. Bribes to police are not uncommon. And when police stop a car, suspects are expected to get out of their cars, approach the officer and present papers, said Mexican Consul Luis Humberto Ramirez.

“Here it’s just the opposite,” he said.

Ramirez and Sheriff Larry Carpenter announced the pamphlet and other efforts at an informal press conference Friday after their first lunch meeting. They did not say when or how many of the pamphlets would be distributed.

Carpenter said the discussions grew out of a suggestion by the sheriff department’s Minority Relations Committee, which was formed two years ago to examine bias within the department.

Carpenter also said he hopes the meetings with the consul will open the doors to better cooperation between Ventura County law enforcement and Mexican authorities on criminal investigations. “Much work gets done based on personal contacts and personal friendships,” Carpenter said.

Lee Pliscou, directing attorney for the Oxnard office of California Rural Legal Assistance, said he had not heard about the proposed pamphlet, but he said any attempts at education would be a positive step.

But, he added, “I just wonder whether the consul or the workers ought to be passing out pamphlets to the law enforcement officers, explaining that the cultural differences need to be understood both ways.”