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Sheriff's Office Needs Help With Migrant Outreach Event

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By DAVE NICHOLSON | The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 23, 2009

PLANT CITY The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office is seeking donations of supplies to help the agency stage a community outreach event for migrants.

The sheriff's office needs hygiene items such as shampoo, deodorant, soap, diapers, toothbrushes, washcloths, toothpaste and combs and brushes, and nonperishable foods including baby food. Locally, there's a collection point for supplies at the Plant City branch of the courthouse, 302 N. Michigan St.

The event will be from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. March 14 at the sheriff's District IV office at 508 33rd St. S.E., Ruskin. Sheriff's Sgt. Susan Bradford said the Ruskin outreach has a two-fold purpose, to help migrants with the necessities of life and to build a rapport between them and law enforcement.

"A lot of times they're afraid to call if they're the victim of a crime," particularly if they are in the United States illegally, she said. Victims of domestic abuse are particularly vulnerable if the abuser uses the threat of deportation to keep them from calling for help. But the sheriff's office helps "legal or illegal," and wants to get that word out through projects like this one, she said.

More than two dozen social services and government agencies with bilingual workers will be on hand, including The Spring of Tampa Bay, Catholic Charities, American Red Cross, driver's license office and Bay Area Legal Services.

Services include free haircuts and lunch, and entertainment will include a disc jockey and two live mariachi bands.

There's no charge and all migrants are invited.

The sheriff's office held similar outreach events in 2005 and 2006, reaching more than 1,500 migrants with the most recent one.

"We feel that we were able to break down some of the barriers and bridge some of the gaps between the Sheriff's Office and the Hispanic community," sheriff's Maj. John C. Marsicano wrote in a letter.

He said volunteers and cash donations are also needed.

For information, call Bradford at (813) 247-0455.

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