| The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of Latina police officers within the institution of policing. There is minimal research about people of color in policing and even less about Latinas. This study makes an important contribution by adding to the small body of research about Latinas' institutional perspectives and experiences.;Narrative analysis was used to analyze stories collected through a series of transcribed audiotaped interviews of 11 Latina police officers. Five of the participants held the rank of police officer or detective and six participants held the rank of Sergeant to Chief of Police. There are 10 themes that begin with entering law enforcement and end with Latina police conocimiento. The four findings of the study are (a) embody strength and resilience, (b) legitimize through relationships, (c) live with contradiction, and (d) bring a humanistic perspective. Furthermore, a master narrative of Latina legitimacy police stories emerged. There were five steps toward legitimacy the participants experienced in order to acquire legitimacy and mastery in their occupation. Then the bridge of legitimacy was presented to display a systemic overview of how the 11 participants experienced their role in policing.;The participants were raised in traditional, large Hispanic families and learned about Latino culture, which influenced their development into non-traditional Latinas. Through their background experiences the participants integrated Latino culture into law enforcement thus becoming a bridge between both cultures. The findings suggest the participants legitimized themselves from a humanistic perspective where it was important to have a respectful interpersonal approach through an attitude of service, empathy, and compassion. While experiences of sexism, racism, and trauma were shared, their strength and resilience allowed them to overcome these challenging situations and remain committed to law enforcement. The institution of policing needs to recognize the valuable resources Latina police officers possess as this would influence a more humanistic culture rather than maintaining a thin blue line between police and society. |
