Is race factor in arrests?

The state's minority population has boomed since the early 1990s and is projected to hit 20 percent by the next census. In Salt Lake City, one of Utah's most diverse cities, Police Chief Chris Burbank said his office's data shows police are stepping up to the challenge to ensure they treat all people they encounter equally.

"We are not encountering, citing or arresting minorities at a higher rate than what we would anticipate based on population," said Burbank, of his office's tracking of such data for more than a decade.

Burbank said his biggest challenges, particularly dealing with immigrant and refugee communities, are language barriers and education on local ordinances.

"The state driver license handbook, the information about regulations, is not published in all these languages," he said. "We encounter a lot of people based solely on a lack of understanding of what the rules are."

To meet that challenge, Burbank said new officers in his department are taught Spanish and there is periodic diversity training, often involving people from the community.

"We try to get out and actively participate," he said. "I like to put my police officers on (community organization) boards, so we can get first-hand feedback."

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E-mail: dbulkeley@desnews.com