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She was sworn in as the first Filipino female police officer in the State of New Jersey in 2000. Today, Laila Cristobal makes rank as the first Filipino deputy sergeant in the City of Passaic, New Jersey.
“I worked very hard to get this position, I studied very well, I did a lot of hard work in the Police Department. I’ve been on the job 15 years going on 16th,” she said.
In a jam-packed ceremony at the Passaic City Hall, Wednesday, Mayor Alex Blanco conferred Cristobal’s historic promotion to become the highest ranking Filipina in New Jersey law enforcement.
“This is a promotion that was based on years of service, a test that they take and also the dedication, the officers provide. She does her job and beyond what’s asked of her… so she’s a role model for the Filipino community,” Blanco said.
The mayor said diversity in the Police Department not only provides equal opportunity for all, but also helps in preventing policing issues with the community, such as the ones recently seen in Baltimore, Ferguson and New York.
“Our police officers and fire departments, they are diverse as well so they understand the community, and that kinda avoids conflicts between the Police Department and the community, so today is a great testament. We promoted a Filipina sargeant and a Latino sergeant,” the Mayor said.
Cristobal said, “As long as we are fair, follow by the rules, just treat everybody like you would want to be treated, you can’t treat one person different, you have to treat people the way you wanted to be treated.”
This Fairleigh Dickinson University business graduate was promoted as a detective to the major crimes unit in 2003.
Since 2010, Cristobal has been assigned as a detective in the Juvenile Bureau where she honed her leadership skills for the new position.
The 44-year-old Caloocan City native is part of a family of law enforcement officers that includes her father and younger brother Detective Lawrence Cristobal.
Lawrence said, “Since we were young we wanted to become police officers, looking up to my father and also my grandfather were also police officers in the Philippines, so basically it runs in the family.”
Cristobal also inspires young Fil-Ams to break more glass ceilings and commit their lives to public service.
Nick Soriano, law student and Laila’s cousin said, “She wakes up every morning faces dangers, it inspires me to do something similar, whether I’m in law enforcement when my time comes, I just know that I expect myself to make a fraction of the impact that she has on the city.”
“It’s a rewarding feeling, it’s not a job for everyone, it’s a dangerous job,” she said.
But Cristobal said there’s nothing like it, knowing that she’s making a difference in her community. (Read more from Balitang America.)
Text and photo: Don Tagala, ABS-CBN North America News Bureau / ABS-CBNnews.com
This article has been re-published with permission from ABS-CBNnews.com.
