Efforts underway to restart officer exchange program
By JILLIAN DUCHNOWSKI
WOODSTOCK – Sheriff Keith Nygren formally invited the governor-elect of a central Mexican state to visit McHenry County in what could revitalize an informal exchange program.
Sheriff’s police, prosecutors, Woodstock city officials and other local dignitaries have visited Zacatecas, Mexico, and hosted their counterparts from that state during the past eight years or so.
But the trips, sponsored by McHenry County’s Latino business community, have been canceled in the past two years because of potential violence surrounding Mexico’s war on drugs, Nygren said. Nygren and Latino business leader Jose Rivera are discussing renewing at least some of the exchanges in light of new officials being elected in Zacatecas.
“I don’t want one of my people to become a target of a kidnapping or something,” Nygren said. “The program is alive and well; it’s just on hold right now because it’s just not wise right now.”
Sheriff’s deputies and police from two major cities in the Mexican state – Zacatecas and Guadalupe – completed a handful of exchanges that paired officers from one country with officers of another.
The month-long experiences helped sheriff’s deputies appreciate the Mexican culture that a growing part of McHenry County’s population identifies with, Nygren said. The county paid the officers involved their normal salary, while the local business community covered the travel and other program costs.
“If you walk a mile in someone’s shoes, that’s different than going to a class at [McHenry County College] to learn about a culture,” Nygren said. “I just want our people to have an appreciation of a rather large group of the people we deal with.”
For example, in Mexico, a sign shaped like an American stop sign is treated like the American yield sign and Mexican drivers are permitted to treat the shoulder like a driving lane, Nygren said.
Sheriff’s Sgt. Michael Cisner remembers Mexican police riding four in a pick-up truck – including two in the back – when he participated in the second officer exchange trip.
He said the city police had a broad jurisdiction that included remote mountainous areas that might be an hour drive away. Zacatecas had a sophisticated dispatch center that mapped the location of police vehicles, but some patrol officers did not carry weapons or were issued weapons based on assignment, Cisner said.
Cisner said the Mexican police asked him to demonstrate the sheriff’s office’s traffic stop and shooting range procedures, and he walked away with a better understanding of Mexico’s criminal and court practices.
“Back in Mexico, I could see why they’re possibly intimidated by police,” Cisner said, adding he tried to share that with fellow deputies and consider that when dealing with Latinos in McHenry County.
Rivera, a local businessman and former Huntley police officer, said leaders were looking to expand the trips to include medical professional, teachers and band students. When security levels in Mexico increase, leaders also will have to consider which groups to include.
“Where should we start first?” Rivera asked. “Should we start with dual language [leaders associated with Woodstock schools]? Should we start with the school band?”
