lAKE WORTH POLICE DEPARTMENT

A program that the assessment team found to be unusual as well as innovative and apparently quite successful was local partnership with the Guatemalan Embassy. This partnership involves getting a large immigrant population to register with the embassy. Embassy personnel use a sophisticated passport program and trained interviewers to determine true identities of program applicants. Successful registration allows registries to then set up an account with a participating bank where wages can be deposited. This in turn cuts down on crime since immigrant workers having only pockets in which to keep their wages are easy prey for local thugs seeking quick cash with little chance of having the crime reported. Chief Smith explained that their first attempt at registering people netted about 11 participants but as barriers were broken down this number grew exponentially and the program is now offered to immigrants in all surrounding communities.

For more information please contact Kenneth White at whitek@lwpolice.org