KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — A Knoxville Police Department examiner credits her upbringing to her success in her career. Rosa Gonzalez, a latent print examiner, knew from a young age that she wanted a career in law enforcement.
“As a little girl I loved puzzles and I loved looking for clues,” Gonzalez said. “Then in high school, they offered one forensics class, I took that and oh my gosh I just fell in love with the field.”
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(Photo via Knoxville Police) -
(Photo via Knoxville Police) -
(Photo via Knoxville Police) -
(Photo via Knoxville Police) -
(Photo via Knoxville Police)
Gonzalez was born in Mexico, she grew up in Colorado and she is the first one in her family to graduate college. She credits her parents for pushing her to follow her dreams.
“I grew up speaking Spanish in the home,” Gonzalez said. “My parents always pushed me to really just relentlessly follow my dreams and they never really wanted me to fit into any kind of mold.”
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Gonzalez moved to Knoxville about 10 years ago, and she has been with the Knoxville Police Department for more than six years. As a latent print examiner, part of her job includes examining all of the fingerprints that come from the field. Her upbringing is helping her with her career…