‘A good cop’ has a very good day

Juan Tejeda had wanted to be a police officer ever since he moved to the United States 20 years ago.

Last February, he graduated from the Richmond Police Training Academy and became a city officer.

Yesterday, he became the first Hispanic officer to win the department's "Rookie of the Year" award, an accolade that has existed since at least 1971, said police spokesman Sgt. Ron Brown.

"It made me cry," Tejeda said after accepting the award at a quarterly police awards ceremony at the training academy.

Tejeda, a native of the Dominican Republic, moved to New York in 1989 and to the Richmond area in 2000. He ran an auto-repair business in Henrico County before he joined the city department.

"I always wanted to help the community," he said. "I thought that by being bilingual, I could help the Latino community."

Tejeda is assigned to Sector 212, which is home to a large percentage of the city's Hispanic residents and includes the Hull Street Road corridor in South Richmond.

He has done a lot to earn the respect of residents in the area, said Lt. Harvey Powers, the sector commander.

"He's a good cop, and he's a good community builder," Powers said.

Tejeda persuaded other police officers in the 2nd Precinct to form their own team in a Latino baseball league.

He says the officers' involvement has strengthened their relationships with residents who might otherwise have a negative perception of police, based on their experiences with law enforcement in other countries.

"I can let them know that we are different here," Tejeda said.

Tejeda's Spanish also came in handy in at least one stressful situation. He pulled up behind a car one day, and a man jumped out and ran toward him, explaining in Spanish that two men had robbed him in the car, Tejeda recalled.

"This guy was able to tell me exactly what happened," Tejeda said, adding that he arrested the two suspects.

Joining Tejeda at yesterday's awards ceremony were his wife, Daleysi, his two sons, Werley and Wesley, and his daughter, Darlene.

His wife said she was happy about the award because he had wanted a career in law enforcement for a long time. "For me, it's very important," she said.

Tejeda said he had a feeling he would be a success as an officer.

"But," he added, "I never realized it was going to be this fast."

Contact Reed Williams at (804) 649-6332 or .