PARKER C. SMITH/Special

"Say there's a situation where someone feels transgenders are being picked on," Harris said. "I can come in and give a clear understanding of what the police officer is doing, so they know they're not being targeted."

The melting pot that is metro Atlanta holds a wealth of diversity, with people from different ethnic groups, races, religions, nationalities, genders, generations and sexual orientations. Dealing with each group can represent various challenges, including language barriers and stereotypes. Those issues often come into play when law enforcement officers are called to handle a crisis.

By setting up special units, educating officers and instructing new recruits on diversity issues, the Atlanta Police Department is working to meet the needs of the city's ever-changing cultural makeup.

One of the first ways to address the challenge is to have a work force that resembles the makeup of the neighborhoods where it works, said human resources commander Maj. George Turner.

"We've had some very good success trying to make sure that our department reflects the community we police," Turner said. "We've done two recruiting trips to Puerto Rico and have been very successful [in] getting applications. We recently had a class of 33 officers that included eight Hispanic males. We also have several Asian officers as well.

"We benefit from those diverse groups [by] now having members in our department who can work in the community and also educate us on the best ways to service that community."

Language is often a major barrier to effective policing. To address the issue, the Atlanta Police Department has recruited Spanish-speaking dispatchers and conducted Spanish-language sessions to increase line officers' ability to communicate.

"The culture of our community changes constantly, but we did a study that determined that Spanish is the language we need to be concerned about," Turner said. "Last year alone, we had about 5,000 cases of Spanish-speaking assistance. There was no other language [demand] anywhere close to that."

While the city's ethnic communities continue to grow, the population is also aging. There are more senior citizens whose needs and concerns are specific to their generation and often require special attention.

As a senior crime-prevention inspector, Debbie Jackson devotes much of her time to working with Atlanta's elderly.

"We deal with the elderly one-on-one, doing drop-ins on a weekly basis," Jackson said. "Some of these seniors don't have family members here in Georgia they can turn to. We often talk to them about fraud and crime prevention aimed at the elderly.

"We also encourage them to be part of the Go Direct campaign that prevents them from becoming victims at the first of the month - when their Social Security or pension checks arrive - by having them directly deposited in the bank."

Jackson also educates small-business owners about protecting their assets.

"We talk to them about watching out for criminal activity [and] how to protect their money when they're going to the bank," she said. "And if there is a language barrier, we'll bring an interpreter with us.

"They'll often shut down if they're afraid we're there on a green-card issue, so we have to keep letting them know that we're only interested in the reduction of crime."

Since last November, Officer Darlene Harris has managed the APD's outreach to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) community. She was drawn to the job with the encouragement of a former boss, who let her know that it was acceptable to be openly gay in the department.

"I am a person of many hats," Harris said. "I go from training police officers to talking to new recruits on how to work with the GLBT community. I talk to them about being sensitive to these issues."

Harris' job also takes her to events and functions to show the department's support of gay residents. "I do a lot of outreach. I'm the one who goes into the community and explains what's going on if there's an incident. I work to put out a lot of small fires before they become big ones."

Sometimes the job is as easy as explaining police procedure, Harris said.

"Say there's a situation where someone feels transgenders are being picked on," she said. "I can come in and give a clear understanding of what the police officer is doing, so they know they're not being targeted."

Other efforts

Other metro Atlanta law enforcement departments have similar outreach programs to address the concerns of their diverse communities.

The DeKalb County Police Department recently appointed three-year veteran José Ayala as liaison for Latin American affairs.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation emphasizes hiring agents who are in tune with what's happening in the community.

"We do have Hispanic and black agents, but there is a need for us to expand in that area," said John Bankhead, GBI director of public affairs. "In our new class, we have six white females, three black males, one Asian male and one black female. Our class before that had one Asian male and two black males.

"We have always made an effort to recruit minorities, but it's a tough process, because we're recruiting in the same market for minorities applying to other law enforcement agencies."