Unidos, with support from other city departments, works with Spanish-speaking residents to provide useful information and bridge the gap between the department and the Hispanic community.
Barbara Lopez, Unidos member and patrol administration assistant, said that many members of the Hispanic community use Facebook to stay in touch with family members, making it the most effective social media tool to engage with those residents.
“Many of them are very excited. This is exactly what they’ve been asking for,” Lopez said.
The Facebook page will provide food and clothing information along with information about crimes and crime prevention.
“It cannot do anything but make the relationship stronger. I think that the good deeds and the good intentions of people and the positive things that go on in our community, we need to talk about those things, and this is what is going to give us that opportunity to do that and foster even more positive relationships than we’ve ever had,” Richardson Police Chief Jimmy Spivey said in an official statement.
The department is looking to make more Hispanic residents aware of the Facebook page during the next Unidos event at 6 p.m. May 27 at 1433 Regal Drive in Richardson.
“I think it’s important to the entire community, not only the Hispanic community," Crime Prevention Officer Raul Reyes said. "We want to close the gap in education, we want to close the gap in that mistrust, we want people to reach out if they need help.”
Residents can visit the Spanish Facebook page at www.facebook.com/RichardsonPD.Espanol or the English page at www.facebook.com/RichardsonPD.
