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The FOUNDERS: John Parraz (deceased), Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department, and Vicente
Calderon, California Highway Patrol, San Jose Office were very much aware of the
small number of Latino Peace Officers throughout the State of California, and in
October
1972 while attending a conference in Sacramento CA at the Miramar Hotel their
idea, to start a Latino Peace Officers Association, was born. They began talking
other individuals regarding the need for an
Organization that could help improve the representation of Latino Peace Officers
in the various Departments in California. A great number of hours and personal
time was expended until these two officers were able to gather a small nucleus
of Officers made up of members of Law Enforcement Agencies from Alameda,
Sacramento, Santa Clara Counties, and the San Joaquin Valley.
These men were leaders and truly dedicated to the Goals and Objectives of an
Organization that was still in its embryonic stage. One of these leaders,
co-founder, and the First State President, John Parraz, passed away in March
1979. This gave impetus to a rededication of time and effort by those
remembering the unselfish contributions made by this courageous Sergeant from
the Sacramento Sheriff’s Department.
On August 7, 1974, the Articles of Incorporation of the Latino Peace Officers’
Association of California were filed in the Office of the Secretary of State,
March Fong Eu. This step was taken after three years of unofficial meetings with
a few interested Peace Officers working in the counties of Alameda, Santa Clara,
Sacramento, and the San Joaquin Valley.
This historical event, unprecedented in the history of any State or National
Law Enforcement oriented organization, gave official recognition to a Hispanic
Law Enforcement group, from all levels, legitimately concerned with increasing
the number of Latinos in Law Enforcement agencies in California. The successful
and sincere efforts of its members have come to command the respect of other
professional organizations and local communities that previously looked at
Hispanic Peace Officers with distrust.
Five courageous Peace Officers signed their name to this historical document
at the risk of eliciting negative comments from their fellow officers and their
departments. Their unselfish and unrelenting commitment to the goals of
recruitment, hiring, training, retention and promotion of qualified Hispanics
into the field of law enforcement, has been an inspiration to other officers who
have continued to work towards these goals.
The original signers of the incorporation documents were: John Parraz
(deceased), Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department;
Vicente Calderon,
California Highway Patrol, San Jose Office; John Aleman, Oakland Police
Department; Mariano Flores, California Highway Patrol, Fresno Office; and
Richard Reyes (deceased), San Jose Police Department.
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