LANSING | For Gabriel Barajas, the only sad part about his promotion to sergeant was that his mother was not alive to see it.

Barajas has been a Lansing patrolman for 19 years, and his mother used to nag him about taking the sergeant's examination and pushing for a promotion.

But after her death three years ago, Barajas finally took the steps toward moving up within the department, and effective this past Saturday, he will be a sergeant. That likely makes him the first Latino to achieve that rank within the Lansing Police Department.

"He's the first (Latino) I'm aware of that we have promoted during the 20 years I've been with the department," said police Chief Dennis Murrin.

By comparison, in East Chicago where Augusto Flores is the police chief, Latinos comprise 52 of the 108 sworn officers. In Hammond, 36 of the 210 sworn officers are Latino which includes seven sergeants and two lieutenants.

Oscar Sanchez, chief of staff to Lake County Sheriff Roy Dominguez said several of the local police departments are making efforts to include Latinos in their ranks, most prominently in East Chicago and in Hobart, where the chief is Rod Gonzalez.

"The sheriff is a big supporter of this, he believes it is important for the police departments to reflect they communities they represent," Sanchez said.

Barajas' promotion also puts the Lansing police in a similar position with the police in neighboring Munster, where three of the 39 officers are Latino. According to Lansing's Murrin, Barajas' ethnicity had nothing to do with him getting the promotion.

"He's done just about everything there is within the department," Murrin said.

Barajas also said his gains in life would not have been possible had it not been for his parents, who came from the Mexican states of Michoacan and Tampico, but did not meet until after they had come to the United States and settled in the Roseland neighborhood on Chicago's Far South Side. Ultimately, they moved to the south suburbs in Harvey, where they raised their eight children.

"(My parents) made it possible with their hard work for so many of us to enjoy more opportunities in life," Barajas said. "We have more here than we would have had if they had stayed in Mexico.