By: Diana Johnsen
djohnsen@kcautv.com
The Storm Lake Police Department is faced with a major challenge every day.
There are over 24 different languages spoken in the community which can make policing difficult; however, the department is ready for the challenge.
On its staff it has people like Laotian translator, Pom Cook.
She said one night she was approached by a Hmong woman letting her know her Hmong neighbor was sick.
"He had been sick for over a month. If we weren't there they might not have called us because they don't speak English and didn't know what to do," said Cook.
Pom is part of the police department's "Neighborhood Outreach Program."
It is a mobile command unit that goes into neighborhoods and interacts with the different communities.
It is community policing like this that caught the eye of the Vera Institute of Justice.
The institute recently released a report highlighting how effectively Storm Lake has been able to overcome the challenge of having such diversity in its community.
The report is then shared with police departments nationwide.
"It is actually a working instrument. They can look at programs, policies, and so on of the ten cities that were featured and use those to adapt to their needs and their own jurisdiction," said Mark Prosser, Storm Lake Public Safety Director.
The report also highlighted the police department's "U-Visa Program".
It allows undocumented victims of violent crime to apply to remain legally in the U.S.
Prosser said both programs are aimed to build trust and stronger relationships between the city and its diverse community.
"The better we can create relationships the better we can exchange with them. They then have the trust to come to us when they have problems or information. It makes for a safer community."
