November 3, 2023- Sergeant Erica Trevino of the Dalhart Police Department was invited to be the keynote speaker at the Sign Language Advocacy in Criminal
Justice Seminar hosted by the Northern District US Attorney’s Office and Tarrant County College. Sergeant Trevino’s keynote address was called “From Silence to Empowerment,” as she spoke to Federal, State, and local law enforcement officers regarding her journey as the first deaf female Police Officer in Texas. After the presentation, Sergeant Trevino taught the officers real life skills on how to interact with the deaf community and remove those communication barriers. Putting the officers through multiple real-life scenarios and giving them a chance to put those skills to use, Sergeant Trevino then had conversations with each of the officers about implementing necessary change in their own departments.
“Teaching is one of the most fun parts of my job and I hope to do more to help spread awareness and provide law enforcement officers real life skills on how to interact with individuals that they may face communication barriers with,” said Sergeant Erica Trevino.
Earlier this year, Sergeant Trevino won the State of Texas award for Public Service in Law Enforcement for her efforts to teach and empower deaf students across the state. This latest speaking engagement follows up on much of her earlier advocacy by now teaching other officers how to interact with deaf people throughout their communities.