COBB COUNTY, Ga. — A month and a half ago, Gina V. Hawkins joined the Cobb County Sheriff's Office as its assistant chief deputy. As she unpacked boxes in her new office, you could get a glimpse into her roots.
The first thing Hawkins unwrapped, included a Panamanian mola.
"This is one of the things that I have in my office typically," she said, while showing it to 11Alive. "My grandparents are indigenous Kuna Indians. Mola is what they market and sell to survive."
Hawkins' mother is Panamanian and her father is Black. They both met when he was in the Air Force in Panama.
That blend of cultures has helped influence her career in law enforcement. She is now the highest ranking Hispanic and Afro-Latina official at the Cobb County Sheriff's Office.
“Trust is not there from their culture. While [Hispanic people] came here just in recent years, the trust in law enforcement was not all the way there," she explained. "The fear of operating – the fear of being able to go to the bank, the fear of being able to be judged just by how you look. It does make a difference.”
Hawkins started working for the Atlanta Police Department 18 years ago. She went up the ranks until becoming Assistant Commander.
Then, when Sandy Springs first became a city in 2005, she helped create its police department.
"It was still amazing, but we still had challenges and it was hard. One of the hardest things I had to do was help start a brand new police department," she said.
After seven years there, she became the Clayton County Police Deputy Chief, and after that, became Police Chief in Fayeteville, North Carolina. There, she was the first female, first African American, and first Hispanic police chief in the history of the city of Fayeteville.
"Then I said, 'You know what? Let me retire and see what else I might want to do.' That was in January of 2023," she recalled.
That retirement was very brief!
"Then I got a phone call at this opportunity. It was good because although I'm retired from that, I didn't want to stop the work because the work is very important to me," she explained. "I spent many years learning and knowing, getting the opportunity to try to make a difference in this profession. So I always wanted to do the work, but I didn't have to be the head of an organization."
Hawkins says she was recently drawn to the office because of its diverse demographics.
Data shows the agency is 47% Black, 46% White, 5% Hispanic, and 1% Asian. About 60% are male 40% are female
“[Sheriff Craig Owens] has the most diverse demographics within command staff and within the ranks," she explained. "To have within the ranks males and females of all races be represented shows you that there are competent people helping make decisions that are influential and helping make decisions to run the organization.”
Hawkins adds that Sheriff Craig Owens also just appointed the office's first Hispanic liaison, helping hire more diverse, experienced staff.
"It’s important to have all the different demographics to learn about your culture and incorporate that into the organization," she said. "You will want to go work some place where someone like you also exists so you don't feel alone."
