Originally from Medellin, Colombia, Greenville Police Department’s Sgt. Diana Muñoz considers herself a Greenvillian through and through.
“We moved right before I turned 8, so I’ve been in South Carolina 24 years at this point,” she said.
Her heart to serve led Muñoz to venture into law enforcement.
“My dad was an officer in Colombia,” she said, “and ever since I can remember, I wanted to be a police officer.”
She’s served with the GPD for the last nine years and has recently become the force’s first Latina sergeant.
In her career, she sees a lot of improvements and a lot of room for growth.
“Hispanics don’t trust the police, and from my perspective, it’s very understandable,” she said.
Part of her focus in the new position is to make people feel safe to call the police when needed. One way she accomplishes this is by speaking Spanish to them almost immediately.
“I speak to them in Spanish, and as soon as they hear me, they feel a lot more at ease and more comfortable telling me what the problem is,” Muñoz said.
Gaining trust is essential for the GPD to establish healthy relationships, she added.
“I don’t want a language barrier to exist when trying to communicate with law enforcement. I want them to trust us.”
Muñoz said it’s important for her to honor her Hispanic heritage in both her professional and personal lives, including sharing her heritage with her family: wife Ashley and son Landon.
“Being Hispanic is something to be proud of,” she said, “and I want my son to experience that.”
Muñoz’s joy is helping people in her community and building up the next generation by showing them anything is possible.
“I definitely feel so proud,” Muñoz said. “It’s so amazing I’m the first Hispanic in this role, and for that, I’m very proud of myself.”
