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Fernando Flores, one of the more recent Metropolitan Police officers, always knew he was destined for a career in law enforcement.
“My passion has always been to protect those who cannot protect themselves,” said Flores, 26, who was born in Mexico and moved to the Las Vegas Valley as a young child. “I want to do the things that I think have the most impact in life. And I want to be the one who answers the call of those who need help.
He has a particular desire to help the Spanish speaking community in the valley, what Flores calls “my community”.
“I want to be there and let them know that they can always come and see us,” he said.
Metro says it needs more agents like Flores, people from diverse backgrounds and cultures.
Lt. Richard Meyers, who oversees Metro’s recruiting efforts, called Las Vegas a “fusion community.”
“There are people from all over the world here, and our police service needs to represent our community,” he said. “The topic of diversity is at the forefront of all recruiting conversations. “
Flores was one of 48 metro recruits who obtained the rank of officer during a ceremony Wednesday in Orleans.
Ten of them were born outside the United States – in Mexico, Iran, the Philippines or El Salvador – and they speak languages ranging from Spanish to Arabic, Farsi, Pashto (Afghani), in Portuguese and Russian.
The class was made up of 35 men and 13 women between the ages of 21 and 44.
“These people are resources for our community because, like I said, everyone comes to Las Vegas from all walks of life,” said Flores.
According to Metro, 20.2% of its officers are Hispanic, 9.8% black, 6.1% Asian, 1.5% Native American or Pacific Islander, and 5.3% from two or more races.
In Clark County as a whole, the population is 31.6% Hispanic or Latino, 13.1% Black, 10.4% Asian, 2.1% Native American or Pacific Islander, and 4.9% from two or more races, according to statistics from the US Census Bureau.
Flores decided to join Metro after graduating from Eldorado High School and making a stint in the US Marine Corps.
After Flores left the Marines in 2018, he got a job in casino security while his five-year-old wife, Maria, completed her nursing degree. Now the two have a baby on the way.
“When my wife signed up for the nursing program, someone had to pay the bills,” Flores said. “Once she graduated, I knew if anything happened she would be able to take care of it. That’s when I applied, and now I’m fulfilling my lifelong dream of becoming a police officer.
Flores was elected by the other recruits as the distinguished graduate of the class. He has demonstrated “excellence in leadership, teamwork and general academics in general,” Metro Sgt. Jason Harry said.
Flores was part of the fourth batch of graduating recruits this year. At the same time, Metro’s recruiting efforts continue, most recently with events in California.
Police departments have struggled to find new employees since the start of the pandemic, and the challenge of finding candidates from diverse backgrounds is even greater, Meyers said.
But, he said, “Once someone interested in law enforcement does their research or talks to an LVMPD recruiter, they’re usually sold. We live in a community that always supports its first responders, and we are very fortunate for that. “
“The community support, coupled with the benefits of the agency, makes us very attractive to out-of-state applicants,” Meyers said.
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