Sgt. Sylvia Morales of the Cincinnati Police Department has received today, Dec. 6, 2005, the 2005 FBI Director's Community Leadership Award. She is a twenty-five year veteran of the Cincinnati Police Department, and the only female Hispanic police officer there.


Sylvia Morales with Tony Simms (Vice Chairman of Ohio Commission on Hispanic/Latino Affairs), Stanley Borgia (Special Agent in charge of Cincinnati Division), Capt. Andrew Raabe (Cincinnati Police)

Sgt. Morales got the award because of her work creating liaisons between law enforcement and the Hispanic community, the FBI said. She has helped the community and law enforcement by using her talents and language skills in assisting fellow officers in the field with the needs of the Hispanic/Latino community.

Sylvia regularly volunteers her time to explain the work of police officers and to tell Hispanics how to avoid being victims of crimes. She has also worked with the Regional Community Policing Institute at Great Oaks to create a basic Spanish language curriculum for police and fire personnel.

This is not the first recognition for Sgt. Morales. The Puerto Rican native received the 2002 Ethelrie Harper Humanitarian Award for her efforts to bridge the gap between Cincinnati's diverse constituencies.

MidwestLatino would like to congratulate Sylvia to this well deserved award!