Since becoming the police chief of Storm Lake, Iowa, four years ago, Chris Cole has done everything he can think of to convince people who come from around the world to work in his town that he is not their enemy.
Cole and his officers have hosted barbecues in parks and get-togethers at taquerias. They’ve dubbed a Hummer H2 seized from a drug dealer the “YumVee”, and driven it to events around town, its trunk full of ice cream, soccer balls and other sports gear for kids. And in a town where Spanish is widely spoken, Cole has found time every day to study the language and uses it in conversation when he can.
