09-03-2025
‘A disconnect': Boise police Hispanic liaison counters misinformation, works on outreach
Eduardo 'Ed' Moreno still remembers a homicide from early in his career with the Boise Police Department.
The suspect was found in Garden City, but neither that person nor any of the witnesses spoke English, Moreno said, sitting recently in a conference room at City Hall West for an interview with the Idaho Statesman.
It was an all-hands-on-deck situation, the department scrambling to find as many Spanish-speaking officers or personnel as they could. Moreno jumped in and worked the case, but took note of the language barrier.
'That's where it kind of had me thinking, there's somewhat of a disconnect with that (Latino) community,' said Moreno, 52, who is now the Boise Police Department's Hispanic community liaison. 'Someone should start giving out more information to that community.'
Moreno has been interested in law enforcement for a long time. One childhood coach and influence in California's Central Valley where he grew up was a sheriff's deputy, he said.
He also has ties to Mexico. His parents are from the state of Guanajuato. His grandfather started coming to the United States during World War II because of labor shortages and was sponsored through the bracero program, which brought Mexican workers into the U.S.
'Life is very simple. It's much slower,' Moreno said, of visiting Mexico. 'Even in the areas that I would consider the tourist areas, it's still different. I mean the people down there are so giving and so caring. It's just (embedded) in the culture.'
Moreno grew up in an agricultural community in California and played sports, like basketball. His mother, who stayed at home, pressed the value of education.
At one point, he started making bad decisions, he said, such as skipping class. But his mom told him he couldn't play sports until he got his act together. He did, and studied criminal justice and economics in college. He moved to Idaho after school to work in law enforcement in Canyon County. In the early 2000s, he started working with the the Boise Police Department.
By 2011, Moreno said he started trying to reach out unofficially to the local Latino community. He made connections by showing up at stores and doing radio appearances, he said.
Moreno met with a local publisher to write articles on public safety for a Latino publication, he said. At that point, Moreno said, he was trying to emulate the department's refugee liaison officer.
By the mid-2010s, the Boise Police Department made it official: Moreno fills the community liaison role in addition to his job as a neighborhood contact officer.
Though he has worked to grow trust and connection, there's still fear from people who don't realize they can get support and resources from the local police. It's not unusual for Idaho residents to believe that police enforce immigration law, which Moreno said he has tried to counter.
The Idaho House in February passed a bill that would allow local law enforcement to enforce the crime of illegal entry from a foreign nation if that person is detained or investigated for a separate crime. The bill will need to pass the Senate, but Moreno said he doesn't see the department's mission changing.
Boise police spokesperson Haley Williams, when reached later for clarification, said the department doesn't typically comment on bills pending in the Legislature.
Similarly, Caldwell Police Department spokesperson Char Jackson said the bill would not change anything for that agency. Nampa Police Deputy Chief Curt Shankel said via a spokesperson the bill wouldn't have a big impact on day-to-day work in that Canyon County city.
The Meridian Police Department had no response or thoughts on the proposed legislation, according to spokesperson Jordan Robinson.
'The challenge is always in fear. A lot of it is misinformation and that's the challenge,' Moreno said. 'Especially nowadays, that fear is amplified by social media.'
Moreno said his biggest success is making sure people aren't afraid to call the police to report an incident.
That's something Mari Ramos, the executive director of the Idaho Hispanic Foundation, echoed.
'Our partnership with him is a good one because what we are trying to do is create a comfort level with our Hispanic community, when it comes to being able to report when they are victims,' Ramos told the Statesman. 'We do invite Ed to different events.'
Around 80% of Idaho Latinos are U.S. citizens, according to the Idaho Commission on Hispanic Affairs. But there's still fear that their citizenship could be challenged or they could be racially profiled, Ramos said. But having a liaison means a trusted figure within the law enforcement community can provide vetted information, she said.
'I would like to see more people that we can go to for those questions,' Ramos said. 'It does help build a relationship and helps build a bridge between the different communities.'
The Nampa Police Department doesn't have a similar position or any plans to create one, according to spokesperson Carmen Boeger. Caldwell doesn't have a dedicated liaison, but the role is assigned as 'an ancillary duty' to a police officer, Jackson said. Meridian also doesn't have one specific person and has no plans to hire someone.
Canyon County has at least 62,000 Latino residents, according to the Idaho Commission on Hispanic Affairs.
'We expect all of our officers to be liaisons to our entire community,' said Robinson, the Meridian spokesperson.
In Boise, it's Moreno's final year with the department. He's retiring, and he already has his eye on someone within the department to take his spot.
'I wanted to work somewhere and leave it better than what I found it,' Moreno said. 'I think it's going to be better with having a liaison position in place, having someone that the community can turn to, especially if they speak Spanish.'
