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, Senator’s 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)