FLETC Focus on Hispanic Heritage Month with Juan A. Perez

Photo By James Stare | (Courtesy Photo Provided) The Perez cousins enjoy some family time 2005 in Miami, Fla. From left to right are Bryme, Priscilla, Juan and Alexus.  

GLYNCO, GA, UNITED STATES

09.24.2021

Story by Jennifer Scales 

U.S. Department of Homeland Security

If in-service or advance law enforcement training is in the works at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers (FLETC) Cheltenham, Maryland Training Delivery Point, then chances are the instructor will be Juan A. Perez.

Perez is a Law Enforcement Specialist/Instructor in the Cheltenham In-Service Tactics Branch at the National Capitol Region Training Operations Directorate. For over a year, he has provided instruction on such classes as Foreign Affairs Counter Threat (FACT), tactical medicine, and conducted export training. “Most of the instruction is advanced training to instructors and refresher courses,” Perez said.

Before joining FLETC, Perez served as a police lieutenant in charge of training in New Orleans.

The Brooklyn, New York native spent his formative years in the ‘Empire State’ before joining the U.S. Marine Corps, where he served in Combat Operations as a Combat Engineer and as a Marine Security Forces Instructor with assignments in Iraq, Afghanistan; Camp Lejeune, North Carolina; and Chesapeake, Virginia.

Though Perez lived in the States, his mother and father, Maria Serra and Juan Perez, kept him in tune with family celebrations and holidays in their native Puerto Rico. “I remember hanging out with my many cousins in the countryside and going to the beach on the west side of the island, which is known as Mayaguez,” Perez said. “Birthdays and holidays were a big thing for us also.”

Now that many of those same cousins and family members are older and spread far and wide around the world, those gatherings remain a part of their memories.

Perez notes that his ancestry is culturally rich. “I have members in my family with roots who are Jamaican, French, Black and White. I am proud of our eclectic family mixture.”

For now, Perez calls FLETC his ‘second home’. “Our cadre is so diverse, and when I came on board it was a seamless transition,” Perez said. “From the very beginning, I felt welcome and was able to fit right in. FLETC has made it inclusive for law enforcement officers, whether they be students, staff or Veterans from the military like me. Our job…our mission is to get the training done to protect and serve.”

Perez concluded, “I found my place in the FLETC family and I am grateful to be a part of it.”

• Date Taken: 09.24.2021
• Date Posted: 09.27.2021 08:41
• Story ID: 406071
• Location: GLYNCO, GA, US
• Hometown: CHELTENHAM, MD, US