BRATTON ALLAYS LATINOS' FEARS NO RACIAL-ETHNIC PROFILING, CHIEF PROMISES.

Byline: Josh Kleinbaum Staff Writer

Police Chief William Bratton met face-to-face with members of the Latino community on Monday, giving his assurance that he will not make any changes to Special Order 40 - the department's policy that restricts officers from inquiring about people's immigrant status.

Bratton told a group of 23 leaders from more than a dozen organizations that he will clarify the policy with officers.

``We are not proposing to change a single word of Special Order 40,'' Bratton said. ``As we continue increasing our focus on crime in this city, we are going after the worst of the worst. Individuals who are arrested, convicted, deported and come back into the country fit that description - worst of the worst.

``I'm not concerned what the victim's immigrant status is. I could care less.''

Police officers will be allowed to inquire about immigrant status in three situations, Assistant Chief George Gascon said: If an officer recognizes a suspect deported from a past arrest and conviction; if police intelligence identifies a suspect who has been deported and returned to the country illegally; or if officers learn that somebody already arrested fits the criteria.

Bratton said the department will increase officer training about the nuances of Special Order 40 and form a group of Latino leaders and police officials to foster communication and trust between the Latino community and the police force. He plans to present his proposal to the Police Commission in a couple of months.

Community leaders requested the meeting. Special Order 40 is a hot- button issue in the Latino community, and some in the community believe changes that loosen the order's protections for immigrants could lead to racial or ethnic profiling by police officers.

``We asked 20 questions, and they were all about racial profiling: Are you going to be stopped because of the way you're dressed? Are you going to be stopped because of the way you look? Are you going to be stopped because of the way you speak English?'' said Salvador Sanabria, associate director of El Rescate, which organized the meeting.

``We've always agreed with Special Order 40. From what we heard from the chief of police today, he gave his word to us that no changes are going to be made. To safeguard that promise, we've formed this work group.''

Bratton won the support of the group by promising to work with the immigrant community and by expressing a grasp of their key issues, including their culture of fear of the police. He agreed to form the work group and promised to hold the first meeting within the next two weeks, Sanabria said. Bratton also told the group that he supported driver's licenses for illegal immigrants.

``He understands the concerns of the community,'' said Isabel Cardenas, a community activist who attended the meeting. ``It's great that he can think in those terms.''

Josh Kleinbaum, [phone]

josh.kleinbaum(at)dailynews.com