Dallas ISD Police celebrate first Hispanic female sergeant – NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth

This Hispanic Heritage Month, the Dallas ISD Police Department recognizes the hard work of its first Hispanic sergeant.

María Rodríguez was born and raised in Dallas.

“I attended Maple Lawn for elementary school and then middle school in Longfellow. I graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School and attended Liberty Belles,” Rodríguez said.

In December 2023, Rodríguez became the first Hispanic sergeant for the school district's police department.

However, her first job was as a teacher's assistant for the Dallas School District's English Second Language Department.

“I helped the teachers be the bridge between the teacher and the student,” Rodríguez said. “It’s very important to me to help, especially my community.”

Nevertheless, Rodríguez had other career dreams that he wanted to realize.

“I wasn't sure if that was what I wanted. “I may remember when I was eight years old when I told my parents that I wanted to be a police officer,” Rodríguez said.

Thanks to the encouragement and guidance of a Dallas ISD police officer, Rodríguez was finally able to explore her future in law enforcement.

“I met a mentor, an officer who worked at Skyline High School. Officer Allan Miles, who told me about a program our department was starting. And so he helped me and got me to apply,” Rodríguez said.

In 2015, Rodríguez came much closer to realizing her dream.

“I graduated from the police academy in 2015,” Rodríguez said.

She later became a detective with the Dallas ISD PD, specializing in crimes against persons and sexual assault. Her work gave Rodríguez the opportunity to work one-on-one with students and their families during the most stressful times of their lives.

“I have seen many situations where our Hispanic parents were not understanding, especially when their child is accused of a crime. I mean, as a parent, I want to know what my child is accused of and understand what that means,” Rodríguez said. “I love clearing their doubts because most of the problems I see between the community and the police are a lack of knowledge.”

Education, Sgt. Rodríguez said this is key to building relationships with students and improving their outcomes within the criminal justice system.

“My goal is to educate them about the law,” Rodríguez said. “That way they don’t grow up and have negative relationships with the police.”

Rodríguez hopes her role as sergeant will inspire students to dream big and increase Hispanic representation in her department and the criminal justice system.

“Be fearless. Don’t let fear hold you back,” Rodríguez said. “You can do anything you put your mind to.”

Rodríguez said she continues to work hard because she has an even bigger goal with the Dallas ISD Police Department.

“It inspires other women. I can see it,” Rodríguez said. “I hope that one day a Hispanic woman can be the chief of our police department.”