Leila Silva

“Every person has a story. Every story deserves to be heard.”

Leila Silva was born and raised in the Amazon rainforest of Suriname. After a stint as a military police officer there, and a brief, eye-opening trip to Rio de Janeiro, Leila swapped her jungle camouflage for a city cop uniform. Balancing the demands of the job with raising her two young children as a single mother has not been easy, but Leila draws strength from her time spent playing music with her family and teaching her children traditional dances from their ancestral land.

What led you to become a police officer?

I wanted to make a difference in my community and help protect people from harm.

What is your proudest accomplishment as a police officer?

I am proud of the times when I have successfully mediated conflicts and prevented violence from escalating.