Our Latino allies against gangs

“Indeed, the good news in the fight against Latino gang crime is that the number of Latino law enforcement officers has skyrocketed over the last 15 years. According to a 2004 study out of the University of Texas at San Antonio, between 1990 and 2000, the number of Latino officers in the nations 50 largest municipal police forces jumped from 9% to 14%. Not surprisingly, the biggest gains came in cities with larger, more established Latino populations, places where growing political power can influence hiring practices.

But Cynthia Perez McCluskey, the studys coauthor, says that although the sharp jump may reflect a growing organizational commitment to Latino recruitment, it may also be evidence that more Latino men and women want to help solve the problems they experienced when growing up.”

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