Roberto Vasquez became Siler City's first Hispanic citizen back on July 4 1977 after leaving his native El Salvador in search of the American dream.

 

“When I came here, I was real scared because I had never been here before,” Vasquez said.

 

"I would hear people speak English to me and listen very carefully because I live in the country and needed to learn it," said Vasquez, describing how he learned the language.

 

But now that he speaks both English and Spanish, his life has taken a different turn. The man who at one time was an outsider is now an insider for the Siler City Police Department.

 

Police Chief Gary Tyson said the department relies on Vasquez to bridge the gap between non-English speaking Hispanics and the police. Vasquez helps the police free of charge with cases ranging from criminal to civil.

 

“Mr. Vasquez has longevity here as well as credibility, so he can get with them, talk to them and take our message out to some of the other Latino population that live here who normally wouldn’t come to speak with us,” Tyson said.

 

According to the last census, nearly 40 percent of the population in Siler City is Hispanic and the number continues to grow.

 

Chief Tyson said, the younger Hispanic population can speak English very well, but many members of the older Hispanic population have yet to grasp the English language very well and that’s why police are having the hardest time bridging those communication gaps.

 

Vasquez said he's willing to help because he understands what it is like to be in a place where no one else speaks the same language as you.

 

The department calls on Vasquez to help with suspect interviews as well as interviewing people who need police help but can’t speak English very well.

 

Vasquez’s roll in bridging the gap between police and the Hispanic community will go beyond police interviews. Authorities said they would like to use him for community programs that would have an impact on non-English speaking immigrants.

 

Chief Tyson adds that every police department is looking for bi-lingual officers but the pool of officers is not there. Siler City currently has only 2 Spanish speaking officers and is trying to get Hispanic high school students interested in law enforcement to join the force.