Spanish-speaking deputy helps make a difference in sheriff's office
Nayrobi Tea was volunteering at One Place, a nonprofit that advocates for domestic violence and human trafficking survivors, when a woman came into the center. She could only speak Spanish, and no one could help her.
For Tea, that opened her eyes to the good that she could do as a Spanish-speaking deputy. So, last November she joined the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office.
“It is important to bring awareness that here in the United States it is a very multicultural country," Dep. Tea said. "So therefore everybody needs to be validated — whether it is an Asian family, a deaf family, like a person who has a disability with hearing. It’s very important for me to give a voice to those that don’t have one."
When Spanish speakers come to the United States, they do not always know all the laws here, Tea said. She said she hopes to be that link for Latinos. She also hopes to be a role model.
“Who knows? Maybe when they see that someone that looks like them, talks like them or shares similar values (and) culture similarities, they might say, ‘You know what? I see myself wearing that uniform.’ And maybe that will bring some to say, 'I can do that. If she did that, I can do that,'" Tea said.
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Tea cannot wait to get to work every day.
“Overall I mean I love it. I can actually say that I love working in this agency. Usually people, you know, hesitate to come to work. You’re just like, 'Is it almost time? Is it almost time? Is it almost time?'" Tea said. "It’s like the little SpongeBob character, 'I’m ready. I’m ready,'" she said, imitating the cartoon.
Patrol eats up most of Tea's time at work. She said each case is important to her. Her co-workers are important to her as well.
“The support that I have received as an individual, as an employee and as a person has been humbling," Tea said.
Tea grew up in Los Angeles in a Spanish-speaking household, where she learned English by watching cartoons.
She was a military wife for 22 years. Her husband retired after the family's last move to Alabama. “And we have called Alabama home ever since," Tea said.
Tea has two sons, so before joining the Sheriff's Office she worked part-time jobs to be there for her kids.
The family relocated many times with the military. They have lived everywhere from Fairbanks, Alaska to El Paso, Texas.
She says she's glad the family settled in Alabama because it gave her a path to become a deputy.
Alex Gladden is the Montgomery Advertiser's public safety reporter. She can be reached at agladden@gannett.com or 479-926-9570.
This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Spanish-speaking deputy helps make a difference in sheriff's office
