To Help “La Gente”: Examining Helping People as a Motivation for Becoming an Officer in the Los Angeles Police Department Among Male Mexican American Officers

Published date01 December 2020
DOI10.1177/0734016820916763
AuthorRoberto Gallardo
Date01 December 2020
Subject MatterArticles
Article
To Help “La Gente”:
Examining Helping People as
a Motivation for Becoming an
Officer in the Los Angeles
Police Department Among
Male Mexican American
Officers
Roberto Gallardo
1
Abstract
The most commonly declared motivation for pursuing a career in law enforcement is helping people.
As part of a study focusing on male Mexican American police officers in the Los Angeles Police
Department, data were collected on initial motivations of police officers. The data reveal that a
significant motivation for respondents was not only helping people but specifically helping minority
communities receive improved services. This motivation stems from their interactions and per-
ception of police while growing up in minority communities. Based on the findings, this article
concludes with a call for a more grounded approach to research on Latinos in law enforcement.
Keywords
Latino, Mexican American, police, motivations
Historically, policing in the United States has been an occupation predominantly composed of White
males. As such, the experiences of White male police officers are well-documented (Barlow &
Barlow, 2000; Van Maanen, 1974). Currently, White males still constitute an overwhelming major-
ity of officers on the state, federal, and local level across the country (Reaves & Maskaly, 2015).
However, minority demographics in law enforcement have increased substantially over the last 30
years (Walker, 1999). Currently, the three largest departments in the country, The New York Police
Department, Chicago Police Department, and The Los Angeles Police Department, have minorities
constitute a substantial percentage of their rank and file officers. Along with the increase in minority
1
Department of Criminal Justice, Springfield College, MA, USA
Corresponding Author:
Roberto Gallardo, Department of Criminal Justice, Springfield College, Springfield, MA 01109, USA.
Email: rgallardo2@springfield.edu
Criminal Justice Review
2020, Vol. 45(4) 452-463
ª2020 Georgia State University
Article reuse guidelines:
sagepub.com/journals-permissions
DOI: 10.1177/0734016820916763
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