Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department

Hispanic American Resource Team (HART)
Director Walter (Curt) Norris

2007 Federal Interagency Conference On Limited English Proficiency 
(LEP)
March 15 & 16, 2007




Background (HART) 
> Created in 2001 

 To develop trust between LVMPD and the Hispanic community 

 To address the increased rate of victimization of Hispanics 

 To better provide police services to LEP residents 

 To educate LEP residents on police procedures 

> Team of Hispanic (bi-lingual) Officers 
> Community Oriented Policing (COP) Concept 




LVMPD HART Teams:
 Currently assigned to 

 Northeast Area Command (NEAC) 
 Downtown Area Command (DTAC) 
 Bolden Area Command (BAC) 
 Southeast Area Command (SEAC) 

 The BAC and SEAC HART teams were added 
in July 2006 due to the growth in the 
minority population in these areas and 
recommendation by VERA. 

 All HART teams have two officers assigned 
full-time, with the exception of the NEAC, 
which has three officers 



HART  Community Outreach 

 Work as liaisons between the Hispanic community and LVMPD 

 Building bridges and trust between the two components 

 Provides police services to the Hispanic community 

 Educates the Hispanic community on police procedures 




Community Outreach Continued 

 Conducts 2nd Tuesdays in Hispanic Neighborhoods and communities 

 Community meeting aimed at the Hispanic community 

 Held on the second Tuesday of every month


 Meeting is conducted in Spanish 

 Guest speakers are invite to speak on topics 
specific to their area of expertise (LVMPD
Sheriff, Senators office, etc.) 

 Information provided at meeting 

 Police Services, Procedures, and Resources 
 Issues specific to Hispanic neighborhoods 
 What to do when stopped by a police officer 
 The law as it pertains to domestic violence 




Community Outreach Continued 

 Informs the Hispanic community about police 
services via: 

 Hispanic Media (Telemundo & Univision)

 Local radio station (KCEP) FM  Weekly-
Question and Answer session 

 Local Radio 1290 AM  Bimonthly  Question 
and Answer session (All in Spanish) 


 Provides translation and interpretation services when requested 




HART -Hispanic Recruitment Council 

> HART Team is responsible for operating this council 

> Goal 
 Assist LVMPD with recruiting qualified Hispanics employees 

> Consists of HART team members, other bi-lingual 
LVMPD officers, bi-lingual civilian employees and 
members of the community 

> Promotes law enforcement job opportunities within 
the Hispanic community 

> Assists Hispanic candidates with preparation for 
variety of positions 

> Assists LVMPD with informing the Hispanic 
community of job announcements 




HART  Police Services 

> Provides Police Services to Hispanic community 

 Assists with criminal investigations within the 
Hispanic community 

> Created HART Line 

 Telephone line where Hispanic community 
members can call and leave messages regarding
questions and non-emergency assistance. (3-7
calls a day)