También puedes leer este artículo en español, Teniente Kendel Cole.

Originally from Searcy, Arkansas, Kendel Cole came to Little Rock 11 years ago to join the Little Rock Police Department in 2012.

Cole is a bilingual officer who speaks Spanish and English. He learned Spanish when he was in high school and spent time in Honduras on community work missions in the summer of 2005, as well as in his Spanish courses in college years later.

In recent years, he has been an important liaison for the City of Little Rock Police Department with the Spanish-speaking community in Central Arkansas, collaborating with organizations that inform and assist the immigrant community with their primary needs and assimilation into this country. He has collaborated with organizations such as Trabajando Juntos, Arkansas Unidos and the Mexican Consulate in Little Rock.

What Cole likes most about his job as a public servant is sharing, helping and solving problems in the community. At the moment, Cole is studying for a doctoral degree while continuing to work for the Department.

“I remember in 2012 when I came to work at the police department there was only one Spanish-speaking detective besides me. As the only officer in a patrol car, we spent a lot of time solving problems and helping the Spanish-speaking community,” Cole said.

Lieutenant Cole said he now feels much happier because there are now 19 Spanish-speaking bilingual officers in the police department, and they are now able to better serve the Hispanic community in Central Arkansas.

The Little Rock Police Department also has its Academy of Community Police program available in Spanish, allowing city residents to learn about the main procedures in different support cases, regulations and laws, from bilingual officers.

Cole recommends not only the Spanish-speaking community but all immigrant communities in Arkansas to educate themselves about the city's laws and regulations as this helps them better assimilate into the system. 

“We must learn and respect the laws and regulations of the city to avoid getting involved in problems,” Cole commented.