DALLAS (KRLD) - Dallas police are hosting departments from across North Texas at Fair Park for a meeting on how to build trust with community groups. This is the second year Dallas police have held the meeting.
"We don't want to reinvent the wheel," says Dallas Police Sgt Robert Munoz. "We just want to make sure the main focal point is community service and community engagement."
Munoz is Dallas police's Latino community liaison. He says increased community involvement can help immigrants feel more comfortable reporting crime.
"We'll host those conversations and tell them, 'You have rights. If you're the victim of a crime, report it,'" he says. "We need our community to get more involved."
Munoz says departments are comparing notes as they look for ways to get to know the people in their communities better. He says reaching out to schools or neighborhood watch programs can build those relationships.
"It's about going back and having that positive interaction with our community. We have to continue improving those relationships," Munoz says.
Munoz says Dallas police have focused on community involvement, holding more neighborhood meetings, as a result of the spike in crime this year.
"It's about providing those services for our community," he says. "Department of Public Safety was here, we can't thank them enough for providing those services, those resources."