DPD honored retired Division Chief Juan Maldonado as part of their Hispanic Heritage Month celebration.
Denver Police MuseumMaldonado was named one of the department’s first Latino division chiefs in 2000. He oversaw District 2 in northeast Denver. He joined the department in 1971 after serving in Vietnam.“I came home to Denver, and we had two kids,” Maldonado said. “I drove by the old police station that used to be at 12th and Champa, there was a sign on the wall that said, ‘Denver is hiring police and firefighters.
He joined the police academy on July 17, 1971, and was one of three Latinos in his class. He went on to become a patrol officer, and Maldonado said other officers made it abundantly clear that they were not especially welcome.“We had nights where people wouldn’t talk to us,” he said. “One guy in the other car says, ‘Who we working with?’ This guy says, ‘I don’t know, I haven’t even asked him his name, some Mexican guy.’ First of all, I’m not Mexican. My family came from Spain.
He served as a patrolman, sergeant, and lieutenant in departments like Internal Affairs and the Intelligence Bureau. In 2000, he was promoted to Division Chief, where he oversaw District 2 in northeast Denver and eventually retired in 2004. Now, his son and his grandson are both following in his footsteps.
“I saw the change as time went on to where it became more diverse,” he said. “It became a more equal playing field, and I’m proud to have been a Denver police officer.”award that recognizes Hispanic officers who were one of the first to achieve a milestone in their careers. It’s Maldonado’s legacy of helping others that touched many in the department.
“As a young Hispanic officer on the job, you always look for Hispanic officers and leaders within the department to emulate,” said Joe Montoya, Deputy Police Chief for DPD. “And definitely one of those.”“I take pride in that I’m an American, I’m a Hispanic American of Spanish descent, but I’m also very proud of the fact that I am blue,” Maldonado said. “I believe that all police officers are blue. Some of us are different shades of blue, but we’re all blue.
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