With his recent promotion, Maj. Paco Balderrama has become the first Hispanic officer to reach the rank of major at the Oklahoma City Police Department.
Balderrama, who first joined the department in 1999 and most recently served as captain of the police Office of Media Relations, is taking over the Police Community Relations unit and Operations Administration.
“Paco Balderrama’s qualifications for upper management in the police department go beyond his ability to work well with others, education, law enforcement experience and community involvement. He doesn’t accept the status quo and knows community trust is the key to any police department’s success,” said Police Chief Bill Citty. “He has the qualities I feel are critical for a good leader: The intellect to think through issues well, the heart for guiding how you treat people and the ability to weigh one over the other in making decisions.”
Balderrama has had a variety of roles in his 18 years in the Police Department: patrol officer, undercover officer, tactical unit member, D.A.R.E. instructor and more.
“Serving as the spokesperson for my department has been one of the most important positions I’ve had,” said Balderrama. “We have so much more work to do in the community, and I look forward to the challenges of my new position.”
Balderrama is a Mexican-American born in El Paso, Texas, and his parents are Mexican. The Oklahoma City Police Department only has two ranks higher than major – deputy chief and chief.
Balderrama was a sergeant at the Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office before joining the Police Department. He has a master’s degree in criminal justice administration from the University of Central Oklahoma and a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice management from Mid-American Christian University. He also has an associate’s degree in police science from Oklahoma State University-Oklahoma City and is a graduate of U.S. Grant High School.
Among accolades and accomplishments Balderrama has earned during his time at the Police Department are its rookie of the year award in 2000, the 2008 Outstanding Community Leader award from the Greater Oklahoma City Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, being named one of El Nacional newspaper’s 12 Most Influential Hispanics in Oklahoma City in 2012 and receiving the Eagle Award in 2015 from the Single Parent Support Network for personal and professional accomplishments as a child from a single-parent home.
Balderrama’s community involvement includes serving on the board for the Foundation for Oklahoma City Public Schools, a former board member of the Latino Community Development Agency and a past president of the Wes Welker Foundation and Oklahoma Police and Fire Athletic Association. He’s a graduate of Leadership Oklahoma City’s LOYAL Class IX and a graduate of SALLT III, a Christian leadership development program.
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Media Contact
Kristy Yager
(405) 297-2550 / (405) 863-2831
kristy.yager@okc.gov
