HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — For the past 23 years, Cpl. Manny Gonzalez has been an asset to Hillsborough County's Hispanic population.

  • Cpl. Manny Gonzalez receives honor from Sheriff's Office
  • He is working to improve relations with Hispanic community
  • He'll be honored at Hispanic Advisory Council November event
  • More Hillsborough County headlines

It landed him the title of the Sheriff's Hispanic Advisory Council's Deputy of the Year.

"I've noticed that there's a need for more Spanish-speaking deputies, so I'm dispatched to a lot of their calls whenever there's a language barrier," he said.

As he patrols District 2, which encompasses more rural areas like Ruskin and Wimauma, he's taken note of something.

"There's a language barrier, so that, coupled with the fact that there may be some fear that they may be deported, they don't report crimes," he said.

So, Gonzalez has made it his mission to bridge the gap between law enforcement and the Hispanic community, especially with those who may have fears.

He recalled one recent encounter with farmworkers.

"By establishing the dialogue, and I think by seeing my name Gonzalez, they were comforted by the fact that they realized that maybe he's on our side. Maybe he is here to help us," he said.

The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office is trying to lessen this fear by increasing its Spanish outreach. It's one of a few sheriff's offices in the nation with social media pages in both English and Spanish.

"I myself was very proud of that because there's a need for that," Gonzalez said.

Yet, there's still a need for more bilingual deputies, according to Gonzalez. Twenty-nine percent of Hillsborough County residents are Hispanic or Latino.

He is encouraging more bilingual individuals to apply.

"You get out there, and they realize that you're human, too, and you see the needs of the community and you know that they know that we're there to support them in more than one way," he said.

Gonzalez will be honored at the Sheriff's Hispanic Advisory Council's awards ceremony in November.