Authorities urge ESL community to report crimes
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – An increase in a certain method of criminal activity has launched further discussion of the underreporting of crimes within communities where English is a second language.
Prosecutors and police working on the northwest side of Indianapolis have said they are combating fear and misunderstanding when victims of crimes choose to not notify authorities.
Marion County Deputy Prosecutor Drew Wignall noticed an uptick in robberies taking place after customers walked out of check cashing businesses but the rise, he said, was only in the reports investigators have heard about.
“People were sitting in the parking lot watching people exit the stores and following them to a location they could easily victimize them; whether that was at another business, whether it was at their apartment complex or home where they were more isolated,” Wignall described.
He said a similar mode of operation has been used in at least three different cases in the past six months concentrated at locations around West 38th Street.
Wignall said he believes suspects view their victims as easy targets because they are almost guaranteed to be carrying cash and in many cases those robbed are not prone to contact police.
“A lot of people, depending on where they’re from, what country they’re from, may have an overall distrust of law enforcement (and) the court system in general,” Wignall said. “They may have issues with immigration status that may lead them not to call authorities but unfortunately what that leads to is us not being able to catch criminals when they do commit acts.”
The avoidance of authority can be based on confusion which members of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department and Marion County Prosecutor’s Office work to clear up in the community.
The prosecutor’s Latino Service Director, Maria Wildridge, spends her days educating the non-English speaking public of the facts.
“A lot of these people have immigration issues and they fear if they call the police, they are going to be deported, they’re going to have to leave their families behind. That’s a big issue,” Wildridge said. “The truth is that they can report crime and we’re not going to care about their immigration status.”
IMPD Officer Carlos Trincado uses social media and other resources to reach the community with assurance that immigration status does not factor into a victim reporting crime.
“We all know somebody that doesn’t speak English. We are able to communicate certain tips,” Trincado said. “We will do something about (the crime) as long as it’s documented. We need to know. We need to be able to show the appropriate authorities that this is on paper. Somebody made (an) actual report of what’s going on in the community.”
Officials say another element of distrust comes from how to store money. The Prosecutor’s Office suggests everyone use traditional banking, therefore avoiding check cashing companies and carrying large amount of cash.
