A Corporal with the Bexar County Jail and the African American Community Liaison for the Sheriff’s Office, Latoya Loving, has celebrated her success on the job, relating it to the passion and interest she nurtured overtime and seeing her mother as a law enforcement officer made her know exactly what she wanted to be when she got older.
“My mother started working for the Sheriff’s Office when I was nine-years-old, the first time I saw her in her uniform, I thought it was the coolest thing ever,” Loving said.
It’s not unusual for children to idolize their parents and even aspire to be like them when they grow up. Loving further disclosed that she always mimicked her mother by wearing her uniform and dreamed of the day she’d be able to don her own law enforcement badge.
“She used to always get mad at me cause I used to put her uniform on and act like I was a cop in the mirror, so I knew since I was a kid, I wanted to be an officer because when I put that uniform on, I had a good feeling,” Loving stated.
The 30 year-old shared her experience while applying for the police academy, saying her petite appearance might hinder her from being taken seriously as an officer. “I thought you have to be tough, you have to be this big, you know macho kind of girl and me being 110 lbs and 5’3, it was a little intimidating,” Loving said.
However, she was determined and exceeded her own expectations as a result. “After I adjusted and went through the academy, I was faced with obstacles I never thought I’d overcome,” Loving said. “And when I graduated I was super excited to start my journey with the Sheriff’s Office.”
Loving first started working in the jail units, which seemed challenging at first, but her positive and fierce work ethic alleviates any type of fear she may have had. “I always come to work with a positive attitude and a smile on my face,” Loving said. “At the same time, I’m very stern. My attitude hasn’t changed and you will not get any less from me.”
After working in the jails, Loving moved to classifications, which she calls “the brains of the jail,” before being approached to serve as the Liaison for the African American community.
“My job is to work with the African American community, let them know we are there for them,” Loving said. “My responsibilities are to create events with the African American community like the Eastside boy’s club for example.”
Loving has served in this capacity for nearly two years, her work is even more vital as protests continue nationwide calling for justice against police brutality. “I’ve been questioned by friends ‘how do you feel about these things being an African American female in law enforcement even knowing the battles we face’ and I’m torn because I know there is an issue with the African American community but I know we are not all like that,” Loving said.
Certainly, Loving’s determination in her work is what makes her superiors like Sheriff Javier Salazar proud to be part of the team. “Corporal Loving is a perfect example of what I had in mind when I created the Community Liaison program,” Sheriff Salazar said. “She cares deeply for her community and her agency, and represents both with honor and compassion.”
Arguably even more proud of Loving, is her own mother because how far she has come in her career and knows she’s just getting started. “She’s very proud of me and all my accomplishments in my eight years of being there,” Loving said. “She knows that this is not the ending of my career, she knows I’m going to strive for more, I’m going to do more.”
Simultaneously, Loving said she hopes to continue doing more in terms of reaching out to the African American community and to being a positive role model like her mother was for her. Even as a mother herself, Loving said she strives for greatness and hopes to inspire all those around her in the process. “If you’re dreaming it, you want it, there is no limit to what you can do. If you put your mind to it, no matter what you think could possibly go wrong, you go for it and do it with pride and conquer your goals. Do whatever your heart and mind inspires you to do. There’s no limit to what you can do,” Loving said. “I did it. I was scared, intimidated but look where I am now. And I still do my job with pride even as a single mother of two.”
Isn’t she just incredible?
We wish her well in her career
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