The Latino Officers Association Florida would like to thank President Ed Nieves and the UCOF
membership for the opportunity in allowing us to issue this article to your readers.
The Latino Officers Association Florida was established in 2002 upon being granted a charter from the
National Latino Officers Association of America. The mission statement of the Latino Officers Association
is to promote tolerance towards the understanding of the Latino culture in the Law Enforcement community
and to create a strong bond between Latino community and Police departments. It also aggressively seeks
to increase the number of Latino Officers in Florida. For more information on us please feel free to visit our
web-site www.loafla.org
In 2004 the Latino Officers Association won a federal class-action lawsuit against the New York City
Police Department for unfair discriminatory practices. The lawsuit awarded both Latino & African
American members of the NYPD police service 26.8 million dollars. NYPD also agreed to implement
initiatives aimed at eradicating discrimination in the workplace. The settlement benefited approximately
12,000 black and Hispanic members of the department that were eligible for monetary damages ranging
from $3,500 to $400,000, depending on the nature and severity of the discrimination they faced.
Members of the Miami Dade Corrections services also face similar challenges with regard to unfair hiring
practices and other issues. Many members of Miami Dade Corrections feel these issues are disruptive and
uncalled for, but nothing can be further from the truth.
In April 2004 the LOA-Florida and UCOF entered in a Mutual of Understanding Agreement to work on
many issue. Today our commitment is stronger than ever.
Finally we would like to close this article with a word from the bible. Being a God fearing Association we
feel obligated with that truth.
2 Thessalonians 2:10
“And in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love
the truth and so be saved.”
Alexander Martinez
President Latino Officers Association Florida
www.loafla.org
www.nloaus.org