Advocates seek help to hire bilingual cops

Hispanic activists in Hempstead Village hope to win support from village officials in pushing Nassau County to make it easier to hire more bilingual police officers.

The village board of trustees will vote tonight on whether to issue a statement requesting that the county change its civil service lists to identify police officer candidates who are bilingual and could help communicate with Spanish-speaking residents.

Hispanic advocates have been asking village officials to request the county civil service commission create a specific job category for bilingual police officers and a separate list of qualified bilingual candidates who passed the police exam.

The last Nassau County exam was administered in August 2007 and a single list of candidates was created in April 2009.

Hispanics are 14.6 percent of Nassau County's population, and have increased 46.6 percent since 1990, according to U.S. Census data.

Hempstead Village's population is more than 44 percent Hispanic, and 33.6 percent of residents speak Spanish.

Also Tuesday night, before its regular 6:30 p.m. meeting, the board will hold a public hearing about getting a U.S. Department of Justice grant to be used toward reducing crime and improving public safety.

The 2011 Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant for $40,726 was awarded to the village police department, but one of the requirements is that the village hold a public hearing about public safety before using any funds. Comments made at the hearing will be sent to Village Police Chief Joseph Wing for review.