Click to enter the gallery. When great numbers of immigrants settle in a new place in a short period of time, they often challenge community stability. Delray Beach and Palm Beach County, Florida, for example, were unprepared for the huge influx of Haitians who arrived there after leaving their island home in search of greater political freedom and the better life that America promised. Close to 17,000 Haitians-nearly 33 percent of the city's population-now make Delray Beach their home. For police and other officials charged with maintaining safety and interacting with local residents, the challenges to effective communication were exacerbated by this wave of immigration. Many newly arrived Haitian residents had little or no understanding of local police practices and American laws. Haitian newcomers faced language and cultural barriers and were quickly stereotyped and victimized. The Delray Beach Police Department, with other organizations, saw the need to build trust and communicate with this new population. The department embraced the concept of community policing, with law enforcement officers serving as advocates for local people as well as patrollers for safety, and with police officers providing a regular presence in the neighborhoods. The police department initiated programs that reached out to groups throughout the city and brought local people into the work of policing. Two key groups that came out of this process are the Haitian Citizens Police Academy and Roving Patrol and MAD DADS, an African American community policing effort aimed at reducing drug-related crime in Delray. These two volunteer organizations are powerful examples of a city's ability to change and grow. Delray Beach has seen a remarkable improvement in cultural understanding and in relations between citizens and city officials, and the neighborhood streets are now safer places for everyone.