FORT WAYNE, Ind. (ADAMS) – A photo of a Fort Wayne Police Department (FWPD) officer and a student reading together has received national recognition from a branch of the U.S. Justice Department.
Officer Juana Saldana is shown in the photo reading with a local student who is originally from Guatemala.
According to the FWPD, Saldana was asked to meet the student who had just moved to Fort Wayne and had an extremely limited English vocabulary. Officer Saldana, who is fluent in Spanish, was able to read, in the student’s native language, and connect with this young girl on a personal level.
The Fort Wayne Police Department released the following:
The attached photo of Officer Juana Saldana and a local elementary student was selected as one of 12 national winners of the COPS Office’s Ninth Annual “Community Policing in Action” photo contest!
This photo will be featured:
· on the home page of the COPS website for a month during the 2023 calendar year;
· on the COPS Facebook and Twitter header for a month during the 2023 calendar year;
· in the COPS Office e-newsletter, The CP Dispatch, along with a corresponding article about the Fort Wayne Police Department.
This photo was taken by the Fort Wayne Police Department (Fort Wayne, Ind.) on March 23, 2022 at a local elementary school. Officer Juana Saldana knows the value of mentoring and takes time with youth in our community; especially those with limited English ability. On this day Officer Saldana was asked to meet a young Guatamalen student who had just moved to Fort Wayne and had extremely limited English vocabulary. Officer Saldana, who is fluent in Spanish, was able to read, in the students native language, and connect with this young girl on a personal level. The Fort Wayne Police Department is submitting this photo because we feel it exemplifies our commitment of service for everyone in our community and beautifuly illustrates just one of the many daily interactions our officers have to improve and sustain positive community relations in our city. The Fort Wayne Police Department is proud to be part of our diverse city’s upward trend. By focusing on the relationships, our officers have built trust and earned the respect of the public. Programs, activities, interactions with the youth in our community are key to our continued success. This photo embodies our dedication to community policing in our city.
