By Martha O'Brien, Times staff writer
Pastor Leo Gonzalez has a standing appointment every Monday.
From 7 to10 p.m., he goes behind the security barriers of the Clinton County Jail to meet with 15-20 Hispanic inmates. His main goal is to spread the word of God.
But Gonzalez takes his position as chaplain a step further. He also uses the sessions to educate the men about life in the U.S.
"They just think it will be the same thing as in Mexico," Gonzalez said. "I know exactly how the Spanish people think and I know I can help them."
And Frankfort police believe he has.
The perception may be that crime rates in the city have skyrocketed along with the growth in Hispanic population. But those closely involved in the county's legal system denounce that as false, asserting instead that crime knows no ethnic boundaries.
Police Chief Jeff Danner went so far as to say relations in the city are improving, and Gonzalez's work is a factor.
"It's slowly getting better," Danner said. "It's better now than it was years ago. I think education has worked."
Bridging the cultural gap
In May 1998, tensions in the city spiked after Derek Thomas, a 21-year-old white man, died following a fight with 27-year-old Hispanic Santiago Perez. The altercation itself was not believed to have been racially motivated, but the incident still sparked rumors that, indeed, race was a factor.
Danner, who was then a detective, said the months that followed Thomas' murder were probably the most intense between Caucasians and Hispanics.
"That was the worst I'd seen it," Danner said. "After it happened, that's when it started being a cultural thing."
The issue calmed eventually, after Perez was found guilty. But Danner said when Perez won an appeal, race again shifted to the front burner.
"Then it started back up and kind of came to a head again," Danner said.
Perez eventually pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 47 years in prison.
Tensions aren't what they were in years before, but Gonzalez said Frankfort's Hispanic population hasn't felt welcome in recent months. He knows of many who have simply moved.
Though some Hispanic residents have left, the estimate of Frankfort's Hispanic population is still vastly different than it was just a few years ago.
In 2000, Clinton County had 2,478 Hispanic or Latino residents, according to the U.S. Census. In 2006, the Census Bureau estimated the county's Hispanic population at 4,207.
Angela D. Adams, an immigration attorney with Lewis and Kappes in Indianapolis, said rather than shunning Hispanics, communities should welcome them.
Adams suggests educating the public to create awareness and understanding. Embracing a different culture provides a window for learning about the world, she said, and the influx can provide benefits if people don't act out of fear.
"By educating people, we build bridges and we help people to understand each other," Adams said.
If cities don't welcome the new culture, the families will feel isolated, she said, and the younger generation of Hispanics will be more likely to drop out of school, join gangs or have babies at an early age.
Crime issues
Police and court officials in Clinton County individually agree that the most prevalent crimes committed by Hispanics involve motor vehicles - from operating without a license to parking issues.
On the day he spoke with The Times, Sheriff Mark Mitchell said of the 162 inmates being held in the Clinton County Jail, 30 of them, or 19 percent, were Hispanic.
Mitchell was unsure of the exact cost per day to house inmates, but he estimated it was probably around $35, which is what the county is paid to hold criminals who have been detained through the Indiana Department of Correction.
Mitchell said in addition to traffic problems, Hispanics are arrested for drug, alcohol and charges relating to gangs.
"We have some drug problems," said Clinton Superior Court Judge Kathy Smith. "Where I see it more is operator never licensed, leaving the scene of an accident, drunk driving."
But officials, including Prosecutor Anthony Sommer, are quick to point out that the crimes are committed by Caucasians as well, and by all ages and both genders.
"It's not like we necessarily track cases based on race," Sommer said.
Frankfort police have noticed greater instances of people driving without licenses and other traffic offenses. Those numbers, though, have decreased overall, said Danner.
Mitchell doesn't hesitate to say gangs are present in Frankfort. As proof, he cites an incident in September 2006, when a Frankfort police officer's vehicle was shot by alleged gang members.
"If that's not a wake-up call to the community of Frankfort," Mitchell said, pausing. "It is here."
At the jail, corrections officers ask suspected gang members if they are, indeed, involved in a gang. Mitchell said some admit affiliation, while others simply have tattoos boasting their ties. Gang members are housed separately, the sheriff said, and do not have recreation or any other time together.
Deportation
Police cannot legally ask if people are legal residents of the U.S., according to Danner.
"It makes this job (police work) very difficult to do," Emery said.
Without cooperation from the federal government, Emery said the hands of local officials are tied.
Without being able to question status, citizenship doesn't initially come into play upon arrest.
"It may in the course of the investigation," Sommer said. "It's not an element that would be before the court on the county level."
Since last summer, jail officials have regularly contacted an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent in Indianapolis. ICE is called when an inmate meets certain criteria, which typically includes a felony conviction. The decision is left to ICE whether to follow through with deportation.
"They typically don't deport anyone with less than a felony," he said, though he has seen two cases involving misdemeanors be deported.
Of the 19 percent Hispanic population housed at the county jail, 8 percent was eligible for deportation, Mitchell said. Those awaiting deportation are not treated any differently than other inmates, he added, and there is no additional cost to the county for keeping them here.
Inmates facing deportation are required to fulfill their sentence, Mitchell said, but ICE requests a hold on them. After the time is served, immigration officials take custody of the individual, according to Mitchell, and the deportee is held in federal facilities until the deportation goes through. They are then transported to the border by bus or plane, and dropped off.
The deportees haven't returned to Clinton County, at least not that Mitchell has seen.
"I haven't, but our ICE agent has," Mitchell said. "ICE has seen two repeat offenders back."
Adams doesn't feel local agencies should bear the responsibility of enforcing immigration laws, as they are in place to protect the community and fight crime.
"They don't have the training and the funding to do that," Adams said. "It's contrary to what an officer of the law should be."
Language barriers
City and county budgets include fees for translators that are used in the courts, by police, and in the jail.
"On occasion we have a language barrier problem," Danner said. "I think many of the street officers know enough to get by."
City police have not been required to learn Spanish, but Danner said in the past, the department has paid the fees for officers who take courses.
"We haven't mandated anything," said Deputy Chief Randy Emery. "We encourage it, but it's not a policy."
The officers often find help in the younger generations, who attend school and have learned English, to translate for Spanish-speaking adults.
"We use that a lot," Emery said.
Smith said for at least five years, the courts have had a contract with Hispanic Community Services to provide translation two afternoons a week and as needed otherwise.
A few of the jail officers and deputies speak a little Spanish, Mitchell said, but they do have a list of interpreters they can use. They also rely on other inmates who are willing to assist.
"They also help us do interpretations," Mitchell said. "We probably use them back in the jail every day. We have many inmates who speak no English or very little English."
A safety issue arises, Mitchell said, when officers can't understand what is being said to them or in their presence. Many have opted to learn basic Spanish on their own.
"There's not a push from me, but I think there's a push from doing the job," Mitchell said.
Helping find peace
Though Gonzalez maintains that his mission as a minister is teaching the Bible, he's helping in other ways besides spiritually.
"Anytime we can get local ministers involved in the jail, it's a good thing," Mitchell said.
Gonzalez not only tries to aid the Hispanics, he also helps law enforcement personnel if translation services are needed.
Gonzalez originates from Mexico, where he had been a police officer. He moved to California 20 years ago. Like other Hispanics, Gonzalez simply moved for a better life.
"When I came here for the first time, I found out in this country, if you work hard you can provide for your family," Gonzalez said.
Then, he said, he heard the Lord calling. He started taking classes at Los Angeles Bible Institute, from which he graduated.
Gonzalez moved to Indiana five years ago after a pastor in Lafayette alerted him of the need for a minister in Frankfort who was both Spanish and Baptist.
After visiting an inmate one day, Gonzalez started making weekly visits, meeting with the inmates to teach them about consequences of their actions in America.
He does his best to learn the laws himself so that he can share with others. He also encourages them to learn English and find a legal way to obtain citizenship.
Gonzalez said the inmates are "100 percent" receptive. There's a trust between them that Gonzalez says is making a difference.
"They know I'm not going to police them," Gonzalez said. "I'm going to help them. My main reason to teach them is so they don't come back to jail."
He doesn't see too many return to the facility after they are released.
"They start to get jobs, change the way they live," he said.
Emery said the Hispanic cultures seem more trusting of police than years past, an indication that education is likely working.
A deeper solution, though, needs to come from the federal government, say those involved in Clinton County law enforcement, and the attorney who works closely with immigrants.
"Education is the key," Adams said. "We all want legal immigration. We're all looking for the same thing here. Enforcement alone isn't going to get us there. Comprehensive immigration reform is needed."
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