Tyler Police Department hosts first community meeting in Spanish

TYLER — When Tyler Police Officer Bianca Smedley began working for the Community Response Unit in 2021, she wanted the Hispanic community to benefit from the many opportunities and resources the Tyler Police Department has to offer. She made it her mission to reach out to Spanish-speaking Tyler residents with information and resources. This is how “Comunidad” was born. “Comunidad” is a community meeting hosted by TPD entirely in Spanish. “Comunidad” aims to provide information on the Tyler Police Department’s and other Tyler departments, organizations and businesses’ services, programs, and initiatives available to the community.

TPD will host its first “Comunidad” meeting on Friday, May 12, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Glass Recreation Center, 501 W. 32nd St.

The Tyler Police Department recognizes the importance of building trust and maintaining strong relationships with all community members, regardless of their language or cultural background. “Comunidad” invites Spanish-speaking residents to speak freely and comfortably in their own language.

“I know English can be such an intimidating language to non-native speakers,” said Officer Bianca Smedley. “The point is we want the community to feel safe and comfortable enough to speak the language they are used to.”

The first meeting will begin with a demonstration of TPD’s child identification program and how to work together to prevent crime. Residents in attendance will also have the opportunity to hear from organizations, including the Hand Up Network, UT Health East Texas, Casa for Kids, Andrews Center and East Texas Human Network, among others.

Participants will be able to ask questions and provide feedback on how the City can better serve the Spanish-speaking community. TPD is committed to continuing these community-engagement initiatives to ensure all residents feel safe and supported.

“Everything I do for the community, I do with my parents in mind,” said Officer Smedley. “What resources and information would they have wanted and needed as a primarily Spanish-speaking household living in Tyler?”

The Tyler Police Department plans to host “Comunidad” meetings quarterly. Each meeting will feature a different demonstration or explanation of a City service requested by participants.

Along with the meetings, the Department is translating many documents, like the City’s directory and information about their new Sidekick program, to Spanish.

“We are thrilled to host our first all-Spanish community meeting,” said Tyler Police Chief Jimmy Toler. “We recognize that many of our Spanish-speaking residents may feel disconnected from our services and programs, and we want to bridge that gap. We believe that by engaging with the Spanish-speaking community in their preferred language, we can build trust and establish strong relationships that will benefit everyone.”

The main goal is “for the Hispanic community to feel comfortable enough to talk to any Tyler Police Officer to report crime and make their neighborhood a safe place and make Tyler safer for everybody,” said Smedley.