The search is on for a new Garland Police Chief.
City officials have met with different communities and groups around the city to get input on what they are looking for in the next chief.
"Garland is an extremely diverse community," city manager Bryan Bradford said. "It was important to me personally that we reach out to each segment of the community."
Bradford and other city officials met Sunday with residents at the Vietnamese American Community Center.
Translators were on site to help with communication barriers.
"Having the language barrier added an additional challenge, but at the same time helped us understand some of the challenges this community has in interacting with police officers," Bradford said.
One of the issues people expressed at the meeting was language and culture barriers between the Vietnamese community and police officers.
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"I mean they do have a lot of miscommunication with the Vietnamese people and police," said Jason Ly, president of the Vietnamese American Community of Greater Dallas.
Some people at the meeting suggested a police chief who would encourage the department to attend more Vietnamese events to better understand their culture.
Others are looking for a chief who would recruit more Vietnamese officers.
"We have been trying extremely hard to increase that number over the last couple years," Bradford said.
Residents who did not make the meeting can take a citizen feedback survey or contact the city's human resources department.
