20403: (Hermantin)Sun-Sentinel-Wanted: Creole speakers for county Sheriff's Office (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: leonie hermantin <lhermantin@hotmail.com>

  Wanted: Creole speakers for county Sheriff's Office

By Nancy L. Othón
Staff Writer
Posted March 15 2004

WEST LAKE WORTH · Even when he's not working, Sherrif's Deputy Noe
Pierre-Louis gets phone calls from fellow deputies asking him to translate
from Creole to English.

"It doesn't bother me," Pierre-Louis said.

With only a few Creole-speaking sworn officers at the Palm Beach County
Sheriff's Office and a growing Haitian population in the county,
Pierre-Louis frequently is called upon for his language skills.

That is part of the reason officials organized a job fair Sunday at the
Haitian Evangelical Crusade Association on Coconut Road that attracted 25
potential job applicants. Anyone could attend, but the job fair was geared
toward Haitian-Americans.

"There's a need in our department for all diversity," said Deputy Carol
Verdigi, an organizer of the event. "We welcome as many participants as
possible."

Sheriff's officials want to hire more Haitian-Americans as a way of boosting
the number of minority employees and improving relationships in the county.

"That's important to us -- to make people feel as comfortable as possible,"
Verdigi said. "If that means having someone who speaks their language, we're
going to strive to do that."

Pierre-Louis started out as a Lake Park police officer, going to the police
academy in 1999.

"I had always wanted to do it, since I was a kid," Pierre-Louis said.

Pierre-Louis said his presence is valuable in Palm Beach County,
particularly for Haitians who sometimes distrust law enforcement figures
because of the way police have treated citizens in Haiti.

Ralph Estime, 20, of Lake Worth, came to the job fair with an interest in
perhaps becoming a deputy. Estime also thinks the value of having
Haitian-Americans on the force cannot be underestimated.

"It's important to straighten out the way Haitians think of police and
authority and bring a more positive view," Estime said.

The Rev. Mathieu Jean-Baptiste, founder of the Haitian Evangelical Crusade
Association, said he was more than willing to host the job fair Sunday.

"In Palm Beach County we have over 50,000 Haitians," Jean-Baptiste said.
"Haitians are everywhere and not too many speak English. The recruitment of
some Haitians for deputies or administrative jobs is important."

Sergo Charles, 25, a Publix baker from Lake Worth, said he has wanted to be
a police officer since he was a young boy.

"For me, I want to help out people who don't speak English," Charles said.
"I love to help out. That's my dream."

For more information about employment opportunities at the Palm Beach County
Sheriff's Office, contact its human resources department at 561-688-3540.

Nancy L. Othón can be reached at nothon@sun-sentinel.com or 561-243-6633.



Copyright © 2004, South Florida Sun-Sentinel

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