A Latino community group in Asbury Park, New Jersey, is building a new ID card program in an effort to improve communications with emergency service providers. The cards are not considered official documents, but include each resident’s name, photo, birth date, address, and phone number. For those who speak very little English, the cards will also include the phone number of a friend who can help translate for police when Spanish-speaking officers are not available.

These ID cards could prove valuable in situations where police officers must quickly gather information from a member of the community about a crime or incident. Police are also hopeful that the cards will enable them to track down and notify family members when Spanish-speaking residents are taken to the hospital on first aid calls.
The Latino Network community group will handle distribution of the ID cards.