LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — On Tuesday, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department's Sheriff Kevin McMahill welcomed the newest class of the Hispanic Citizens Police Academy.
According to the department, the program started in 2007 and has graduated more than 1,000 students.
“That’s what it’s all about, is to increase that trust between us and our community,” McMahill said.
At the welcome event, Sheriff McMahill spoke to the newest class and emphasized the importance of building relationships between his team and the community they serve.
For the next three months, students will learn about various crime topics, how the police department functions, and how to defend their individual families.
Eduardo Lopez Rajo, a Las Vegas resident who moved here in 1997, said he’s taking part in the academy to further his knowledge of the police department.
“I’m very interested in being more informed about how our police officers work for the community and how I could help others in our community when they need it,” Lopez Rajo said.
“I’m really interested in learning how we could help the police officers in our communities, that way they go home safe as well,” said Rubi Esquivel, a member of the class.
Since the academy started, Sheriff McMahill said Metro has better understood the Hispanic community and how to serve the growing population in Las Vegas best.
“Somebody born in Cuba is very different from somebody born in El Salvador, for example, and so, as an agency, we are also trying to understand that and learn it and teach it to our officers so that we all understand that different people from different places have different customs and celebrate all of those,” McMahill said.
