Women play important role in Sheriff’s Office
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March is National Women’s History Month.
What began in 1978 as a local Women’s History Week in Santa Rosa, CA, grew into a national movement. In 1987, Congress designated March as Women’s History Month, ensuring that the contributions of women would be recognized as central to the American story — not as footnotes, but as foundations.
Women have shaped every corner of our society: public safety, education, medicine, business, science and government. Their leadership has strengthened families, transformed communities and expanded opportunity for generations. This month is about honoring those trailblazers — and about investing in the women and girls who will lead us forward.
I stand before this community as Florida’s first Hispanic woman elected sheriff. But that title did not come easily, and it did not come overnight.
I was raised in Washington Heights in a Dominican household where hard work was expected. As a teenager in Queens, I worked in a shoe store through high school and college. After earning my degree in criminal justice from Marist College, I moved to Miami with a dream of serving in law enforcement. I applied to the then Miami-Dade Police Department and waited nearly two years for my application to move forward. During that time, I kept working. I kept preparing. I refused to let delay turn into doubt.
In 1996, I entered the police academy. Over the years, I worked patrol, robbery, homicide and internal affairs. I rose through the ranks — sergeant, lieutenant, major, division chief, assistant director — and on Jan. 7, 2025, I was sworn in as sheriff of the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office.
It is not always easy to be a woman breaking barriers. Bias still exists. There are moments when you may be the only woman in the room. There will be moments when someone underestimates you. Do not let that define you. Let your preparation define you. Let your integrity define you. Let your work ethic define you.
At the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, we are doing our part. Two years ago, we launched a 12-week Women’s Leadership Academy to mentor and develop women within our ranks. Mentorship matters. When someone says, “I see your potential,” it can change the course of a life.
Within our agency, women comprise 25 percent of our sworn staff, and 72 percent of our professional staff. Nationally, women make up less than 14 percent of sworn law enforcement officers. Initiatives such as the 30×30 Policing Project are working to increase that number to 30 percent by 2030, recognizing that representation strengthens public safety. Research consistently shows that women officers receive fewer complaints, use less force and build strong community trust.
But this month is bigger than law enforcement. It is about every young woman in Miami-Dade County and beyond who dares to dream. Your future is not something that simply happens. It is something you build — one disciplined choice at a time.
And when you rise, reach back and lift another woman with you. That is how we make history — together.
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