The Suffolk County police department has vowed to improve its engagement with the Hispanic community in the wake of the brutal 2008 stabbing death of Ecuadorean immigrant Marcelo Lucero by a gang of white youths.
The feds have been scrutinizing the agency since the ugly slaying and will monitor their progress for at least one year, according to an agreement announced Tuesday.
Suffolk police promised to intensify their investigation into hate crimes and to improve their relations with the county’s rapidly growing Latino population, the feds announced.
“All residents of Suffolk County deserve full and unbiased police protection, regardless of national origin, race, or citizenship status,” said US Attorney Loretta Lynch in a statement. “When people feel they cannot turn to the police for protection, they have lost one of our most basic rights – the right to feel safe in one’s community…I commend Suffolk County and SCPD for its cooperation with the United States’ investigation and its willingness to ensure fairness and equal treatment for all.”
Lucero and a pal was confronted by a gang of kids in November 2008 as he walked home from work in Patchogue. They were taunted with racial slurs before one of the youths fatally stabbed him.
A total of seven teens were arrested and charged in connection with his slaying and are serving prison terms.
The shocking case trained a spotlight on the explosion of Latinos on Suffolk County and their troubled assimilation into their surrounding communities.