Kansas City Police Department reaches out to Spanish speaking community

KANSAS CITY, Missouri - In a small bakery on Independence Avenue, officers Kenneth Secaida and Mike Sartain listen to owner Giselle Torres.

"Her main concern is, we have a lot of people around this corner from her bakery shop, who just loiter all the time," Secaida says.

Torres is like a lot of people the police department meets, speaking only Spanish. Spanish is Secaida's first language, making this a routine stop.

"If you didn't have any Spanish speaking officers, it would be very difficult," Secaida explains.

For many at the Kansas City Police Department, Spanish has to be learned. It can make many situations especially difficult in the northeast part of the city, a part of town with many Spanish speaking communities.

In 2007, the police department started its Spanish immersion program.

"I was able to speak in their primary language, which made them feel more comfortable speaking with the police," says Officer Laffoon, one of the first to graduate from the program.

The program takes officers, and teaches them Spanish. The program even sends them abroad, to fully immerse them in a Spanish speaking environment. It also started a Spanish speaking hotline.

"It is very helpful to have somebody speak Spanish, somebody that can understand them," says Gissele Torres, through her interpreter, Secaida.

The police say that this is an important relationship that for now, is working to get better.