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Hispanic National Law Enforcement Association History

One warm day in May of 1990, five officers from the Prince George’s County Police Department traveled to Newark, New Jersey to meet with the leader of the fastest growing Hispanic Law Enforcement Association in the nation. Officers Richie Vargas, Joseph Diaz, Paul Campbell, Steve Pacheco and Felix Montelara returned from the meeting with an inspirational idea to create the Hispanic Police Officers Association of Maryland.

That idea became a reality in June of 1990 when they gathered officers from several agencies within the state of Maryland. The association further developed as a social organization. Later, due to differing needs the organization became an affiliate of the Hispanic National Law Enforcement Association. This affiliation brought about its new name, the Hispanic National Law Enforcement Association, Maryland Chapter (H.N.L.E.A.). The organization serves a dual purpose: first, to support the needs of the community; and second, to lobby for the best interests of its officers.

H.N.L.E.A. is committed to providing outstanding services to its communities and meeting the needs of its members by lobbying for change. H.N.L.E.A. continues to grow and fund expanding programs for the community such as Thanksgiving baskets for the needy, Operation I.D., Christmas Toys for Tots, the Hispanic Festival, citizenship classes, alcohol and drug prevention programs, and summer camp programs.

In April of 1996, the organization had a change of administration when Tom Garcia, Jr. was elected the new President. Mr. Garcia saw the need to have the organization grow into the Hispanic National Law Enforcement Association of the Washington Metropolitan area serving Maryland, Washington, and Virginia. Since the new administration, Mr. Garcia and his executive board members have made H.N.L.E.A. well known not only locally but internationally as well.

The professional accomplishments of the organization have made H.N.L.E.A. one of the most powerful and well respected organizations in the nation. Today, the organization serves as a liaison to various communities, officers, and police agencies including city, county, state, and federal agencies to secure a positive future for all.

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Latin American Police Association History

Several Chicago Police Officers founded the Latin American Police Association in 1961. At that time there was only a handful of Hispanics on the Chicago Police Department. This was due in part to subtle discrimination, such as the imposition of a minimum height requirement, as well as overt discrimination, which has historically excluded the 'first wave' of most immigrant groups. Another impediment was the fact that most police agencies in Hispanic countries were notoriously corrupt and this distrust of the police lingered after the immigrant’s arrival.

LAPA was the first ethnic police association in the Chicagoland area. The main goals were to promote police/community relations, the recruitment of Hispanic police candidates, and the promotion of incumbent Latino police officers. After nearly forty years of labor, these still are our main goals. As LAPA’s membership grew, these efforts expanded to include the Cook County Sheriff’s Office, suburban police departments, and Federal law enforcement agencies. In the mid 1970’s LAPA attempted to improve the recruitment efforts of the Cook County Sheriff’s Office. After several unproductive meetings with the Sheriff, LAPA successfully litigated against the Sheriff’s Office. Our achievement was due in part to the astute legal representation provided by the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund (MALDEF). When the City of Chicago finally promoted officers to the rank of Sergeant using the 'Meritorious' concept, there were only several Hispanics elevated. LAPA met with Mayor Eugene Sawyer and an additional ten Hispanics were promoted.

In 1982, LAPA founded the Hispanic Institute of Law Enforcement as the Educational arm of LAPA , and in 1987 LAPA had the distinction of being a founding charter member of the Hispanic National Law Enforcement Association, in Miami, Florida. During 1994, in Chicago, Illinois, LAPA was a founding charter member of the national organization (CHAPA), Coalition of Hispanic American Police Associations.

Along with legal and political action, LAPA has attempted to increase our representation by conducting tutorial classes for both CPD and Cook County Sheriff candidates. This was achieved in part due to the excellent cooperation of Chicago City-wide Colleges. We also hold tutorial classes for officers/Sheriff’s personnel seeking promotion. All of our classes are open to any interested party, regardless of her/his ethnic background.

Our other activities are diverse. An Annual Banquet, family picnic, golf outing, and children’s Christmas party are always well attended. One feature of the Christmas party is the requirement for our children to select one of their toys, which is then donated to either several day care centers or the Cook County Circuit Court’s children’s rooms. This teaches our kids the importance of giving during the holiday season. LAPA has also tried to improve relationships with our other fraternal organizations by promoting an “even exchange” policy for the various banquets. This policy is so successful that nearly one fourth of the tables at our Annual Banquet are occupied by non-Hispanics! LAPA also accepts associate members who are not of Hispanic descent.

Another important activity is our involvement in the political process. LAPA has assisted various immigrant groups by fingerprinting applicants for U. S. citizenship. We also bestow political endorsements to candidates who support our goals. The endorsement is granted by all active members voting and not just a select committee. Each fall, LAPA provides security for the annual United States Hispanic Leadership Conference. With nearly 5000 persons in attendance, dignitaries, such as U. S. Congressmen, Presidential cabinet members, and Vice President Al Gore, exhort the youthful crowd to become more involved in their community’s and country’s activities.

As LAPA approaches its fortieth anniversary, we aspire to serve as role models to our youth, promote strong police/community relations, and increase our professionalism. We hope to achieve these goals in part through the continued support of our various police agencies and fellow fraternal organizations.

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