MILWAUKEE — A commitment to volunteerism, diversity, and community service has earned a Milwaukee police detective some local recognition.
Detective Alexander Ayala’s office walls and shelves are already decorated with his many accomplishments but after Friday he will need to make room for the UMOS Hispanic Man of the Year award.
“I was very humbled and honored to get the news that I had won,” Ayala said.
Ayala has been a member of the Milwaukee Police Department for the past 23 years but said his commitment to helping others began when he was just twelve years old after his home was burglarized.
“The way that made me feel, I wanted to make sure nobody else felt that way,” he explained.
So, straight out of high school, he joined MPD going from police aid to patrol officer to detective, primarily working on Milwaukee’s South Side.
In that time Ayala has been recognized for his heroic actions on more than one occasion. Most notably, he saved a five-year-old boy from drowning in the Menominee River at Miller Park which earned him the Hometown Heroes Award from the Wisconsin State Assembly.
Ayala has also been credited with helping increase diversity within MPD by helping recruit more Latinos.
“Having interactions with police officers that have the same background as you, that speak the same language as you, I think are very important,” he said. “I think that’s what I ended up providing for my community when I became a police officer.”
His efforts don’t end there. In his free time, he’s volunteering with his family at community events like Breakfast with Santa or Cinco de Mayo Fest.
So, together with his wife and two kids, Ayala has also earned UMOS’ Hispanic Family of the Year award.
All for a community Ayala said he would be committed to without the accolades, but his colleagues said for the detective each one is deserved.
“I can’t think of anybody better,” National Latino Law Enforcement Organization President Danilo Cardenas said. “Somebody you can count on to get something done if you need it.”
UMOS is holding its Hispanic Awards Banquet Friday night at the Pfister Hotel. In addition to Ayala and his family, awards will be presented to the UMOS Hispanic Woman of the Year Carmen Lerma, and UMOS Hispanic Youth of the Year Diego Martinez-Rivera.
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