MILWAUKEE — Sgt. Guadalupe Velasquez has been with the Milwaukee Police Department for 15 years.
In addition to her latest role in the License Investigation Unit, she has found a special way to step up and impact fellow police officers and Milwaukee residents over the past five years.
She is one of two LGBTQ+ liaisons for MPD. In that role, she works to increase visibility of LGBTQ+ issues and contributions. That includes recruiting more diverse MPD officers and meeting with community members to share issues facing the city’s LGBTQ+ community. She said it hasn’t always been easy, but progress is being made for more inclusion.
“I think it’s really important to be one of the two liaisons,” Velazquez said. “It’s really hard work to do, but I am really proud that we can make those movements within the department, to try and bridge the gap within the LGBTQ+ community. To make everyone feel safer and willing to work with us.”
As a liaison, she’s worked to bring the Safe Place program to Milwaukee. The initiative started in Seattle. It identifies businesses and organizations that are “safe places” for members of the LGBTQ+ community, and victims of human trafficking, to come inside and call for police assistance.
Velazquez said with the steady increase in crimes against transgender people both locally and nationally over the past five years, this work has become more critical than ever.
After an outcry from members of the LGBTQ+ community, Velazquez helped set up meetings with MPD leadership to make sure transgender homicide victims are not being mis-gendered in MPD reports.
Not only is she available to help community members, and be a part of community pride events, she is also helping officers in the department who need assistance or guidance.
“Whenever officers have concerns about whether its inclusion, or if they are feeling harassed or anything like that, they have someone to contact,” Velasquez said.
Velasquez said she enjoys being in this role and believes it has been key in building trust with the community, and advancing how the police department operates.