NORFOLK, Va. (NPD) - The Norfolk Police Department expands their efforts in community engagement with the department’s first Hispanic Community Liaison Officer.
Since 2016, Chief Larry D. Boone has dedicated his attention to three specific needs of the community: leadership in policing, crime suppression, and community engagement.
“When I became Chief, one of my first goals was to create outreach programs that developed authentic relationships between my officers and the community they serve,” said Larry D. Boone. One of those communities that I believed was underrepresented, and in need of positive outreach, was the Hispanic community and I knew who would be the one to lead this effort, Corporal Valdez.”
Corporal Juvenal “Juve” Valdez has been with the Norfolk Police Department for 17 years and has served in multiple units including Vice and Narcotics and Crime Prevention. At the age of 4, Cpl. Valdez and his four siblings immigrated from Zacatecas, Mexico to the United States. 32 years later, Juve decided to join the Norfolk Police Department and has long been an unofficial point of contact between officers and the citizens of the Hispanic community.
“During my time as an officer I recognized the needs of those in the Hispanic community and wanted to build stronger relationships with them,” said Cpl. Valdez.
While working as a crime prevention officer, Juve worked to build these relationships by organizing a soccer league of officers and residents of the Hispanic community. Cpl. Valdez also started the first Hispanic Citizens Police Academy in 2019 and was honored nationally in 2020 by the Anti-Defamation League for his efforts. Juve is a regular guest on local Hispanic radio stations where he answers questions about law enforcement and shares NPD’s future engagement opportunities.
Now, as the Hispanic Community Liaison Officer, Juve plans to further his engagement efforts by educating officers about the needs of our Hispanic residents and how to continue creating intentional, authentic relationships with them.
For those citizens interested in the Norfolk Police Departments outreach efforts in the Hispanic community, Corporal Valdez can be contacted at 757-570-8135 or by email at juvenal.valdez@norfolk.gov.
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