Thursday marked a special moment in the history of Latino and Hispanic Connecticut state troopers.
“I was so proud to be able to be standing there and be part of, first of all, the agency that I work for is such an amazing agency so I’m very proud to be there, but I am also proud to represent the Columbian Hispanic population here in the U.S.,” Trooper Paola Garces said.
Proudly holding different flags from Peru, the Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico, thirteen state troopers came together to take the first photo in agency history, celebrating all the different Hispanic nationalities within the Connecticut State Police.
“It was very exciting to have to meet other troopers that I don't get to see on a daily basis,” Trooper Michael Osorio said.
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Osorio said it's exciting to see people from all different backgrounds wear the badge.
“Just so everyone is well aware that we are here you know, and we have troopers in the agency that do speak Spanish, especially with a lot of Hispanic communities we respond to,” Osorio added.
Trooper Garces entered the State Police Academy in hopes of helping the Latino community better interact with authorities.
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“I wanted to be the voice of a lot of people that can’t communicate, which I find that was very important like in crime scenes or places where we really need to get that information, so I know I was going to be a big helper,” Trooper Garces said.
The photo was taken at Albertus Magnus College. Last fall, the school achieved Hispanic Serving Institution status, which means at least 25% of the full-time undergraduate student body is Hispanic.
“We set out to be more intentional in our student recruitment efforts to enroll students that reflect the diversity of our communities where Albertus is located within our state,” Albertus Magnus College President Dr. Marc Camille said.
This fall, Dr. Camille estimates 29% of the student population is Hispanic.
