Seminar in Russian to Discuss U.S. Policing
West Hollywood city officials, in an attempt to bridge a cultural gap between the Russian immigrant community and police, will conduct a seminar in Russian about American-style law enforcement.
On Thursday, representatives of the Sheriff’s Department’s West Hollywood station will explain the tenets of policing as part of an ongoing lecture series.
Russian immigrants often mistrust law enforcement figures because of police corruption in their homeland, said Eugene Alper, a Russian specialist with the city’s public safety division. Often they will not report crimes, leading criminals to target immigrants.
“We are constantly trying to reach out to them and let them know our deputies are not going to throw them in jail” without cause, said Susan Duenas, also of the public safety division.
West Hollywood is a popular home for Russian immigrants, many of whom have been in the United States only two years. About 15% of the city’s 36,000 residents are Russian-born, Duenas said.
“They came from a very different surrounding in terms of law enforcement, and it’s going to take time for them not to feel threatened when a deputy says ‘Hi.’ ” Duenas said.
The seminar will be at 5 p.m. at Plummer Park, 7377 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood.
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