 Chicago Police, they serve and protect. They partner with the community. Unfortunately, the standards set by Chicago Police are not always shared by their counterparts in other countries. And when people from those countries come to Chicago, they may bring with them a deep-rooted and well-founded fear of all police. Hello, I'm Chaplain Dean with the Chicago Police Department. This is another video in our series designed to expand your knowledge and understanding of the many diverse communities within our city. Today, we discuss how officers can best deal with people who have a genuine fear of police based on past experiences in their homeland. They are so afraid that a lot of Asian people do not want to talk to the police, even if there's a problem. And every family member, including myself, has a family who has been assassinated or killed by the government. Maybe they don't understand English that well, and then all of a sudden you have somebody standing over them, and that person is wearing a uniform and carrying a gun. They should just please be understanding that if you approach an elderly Russian person to live through Communism and live through Stalin and Lenin and so on, that seeing someone in a badge is not reassuring, it's frightening. That the police has been heavily involved in repression of civilians, in the disappearance of civilians, in questioning people, going to their homes, taking people away, and those people have never been accounted for. They may be war refugees, survivors of government-sanctioned torture and death squads, victims of religious and political persecution. They live in Chicago now, but the fears of past abuse by police and government agents is not easily overcome. A lot of times when you have individuals coming to America that have been raised in a totalitarian regime or under a dictatorship or a government that engaged in human rights violations, what ends up occurring is that they grew up in this environment and they believe all of authority is going to respond to them in the same way as what occurred in their native land. Even a routine traffic stop can trigger intense fear in people who have experienced or witnessed abuse and corruption. And what ends up happening is that the most visible representation of government is your military and your police. They are the two most common triggers to that belief system. So officers should be aware that when they're stopping somebody, they're not sure exactly what this belief system is and that there are steps that they need to take to make the situation go smoothly and calmly, and it's basically in how we communicate with the person. May I please see your driver's license? Always be courteous. The courtesy part is universal. Yes sir, no sir, yes ma'am, no ma'am. If you know the title, Mr. and Mrs. to use it. If they're a religious figure and you know the title to use that. Are you aware that you are driving over the speed limit, which is 30 miles an hour? Speak calmly. In the course of a courtesy conversation, we don't speak loudly. We keep ourselves calm, we keep our voice even. Me, me no understand. Be patient. When you're asking a person to do that, where English is not their dominant language, they hear what you say in English. It goes into their mind and it gets translated into their native tongue. From their native tongue they have to search for an answer. Once they have the answer, they have to re-translate it back into English and now they have to speak to us. All of that takes a period of time. May I please see your driver's license? Your driver's license. Use proper English, no slang. What we have to do when we're encountering somebody from another country in another language is that we have to slow down what we say. We have to be calm and how we approach and talk to somebody and we have to grow comfortable repeating the directions that we're trying to or repeating the information that we're trying to get from the person. And if you can do so without compromising your safety or the public's safety, take time to explain what you are doing and why. Be direct in asking and explaining exactly what we want to do. Be patient in the course of the interpretation of the language back and forth. Explain what it is that we want to do and then when we're over, thank them for the cooperation. Explain why are you coming in and say, well, you know, we are here to protect you so we're going to know what's going on and how can we help you out. A lot of explanation on part of the police officer or a sense of reassuring them that this is just a routine stop will go a long way in, you know, allaying some of those concerns. The approach of a plainclothes officer may also be alarming to people unfamiliar with the role of tactical teams in Chicago. The Chicago Police Department. Officers should identify themselves quickly and clearly. In the case of the stop of somebody from another culture, the slowness of recognition is what you're dealing with. So that's why it's important to say it upfront on the police and then to show it. They have those two forms. One is verbal and one is visual. Immigration status is another factor that fuels a fear of police. It may prevent people from even reporting a crime. People who are undocumented are going to be more reluctant to have contact with the police because that means having a contact with an official from the state that can may lead to deportation. Even if you're here documented in this country and you have illegal residents, you might not be a U.S. citizen yet and you might wonder, will this kind of attention play affect my opportunity to become a U.S. citizen down the line? Keep in mind that in some cultures people don't make eye contact with police. This is a show of respect, not disrespect. We don't look straight in the eyes like this. You know, in the Vietnamese culture it's very offending. For example, talk to a police officer, we have to show the respect because he's the government, he's authority. This courteous or intimidating behavior by any police officer reinforces not only the fears of the individual person involved but quite possibly the fears of an entire community. The whole family is going to know, the whole community is going to know and they're going to have this perception. Now they had that idea that, you know, you have this something against the Latino. Now they have an actual incident that did occur. They have proof this is truly happening. You see what's going on? These are things that increase stress and anxiety. The only way that that will change is that after there is contact with officers from Chicago, after they see that the conversations go smoothly, after they end up understanding that we're there to help them, not hurt them, that we're engaging in a mission. And all of that can be done by simply being courteous, being patient, being direct, explaining what we need to do, thanking them for their cooperation. And you have now just dropped in a seed that starts countering 40 or 50 years of history from the country that they came from. And it's those seeds over time that allow them to slowly start changing their belief system and then they start responding differently when they're stopped by an authority here within the United States. When dealing with the immigrant community, be conscious of the fact that in many countries, people are afraid of police. To ease fears always be courteous. Speak in a calm, even tone of voice. Use proper English and avoid slang. Explain as best you can what you are doing and why. Understand that immigration status may prevent people from reporting crime or make them hesitant to talk to police. Playing close officers should identify themselves quickly and clearly. All of the people we encounter on a daily basis should be treated with dignity and respect. It is our hope that this video will serve to enlighten and foster a new awareness and understanding. Thanks for watching and as always, stay safe.