Julio Gonzales, 86; Helped LAPD Reach Out to Latinos

Julio Gonzales, a pioneering Latino leader in Los Angeles Police Department community relations who later served on the board of the California Youth Authority and as U.S. marshal, has died. He was 86.

Gonzales died Dec. 5 at a Long Beach hospice of causes related to aging, said his son, Steven.

Three years ago, Gonzales was honored by then-Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan and the LAPD as the department’s “Latino ambassador of goodwill” for his work as a “pioneer and mentor” in improving relations between police and Latinos during the 1950s and 1960s.

Riordan and then-Police Chief Bernard C. Parks presented Gonzales with certificates of commendation for his work from 1953 to 1967 in the LAPD’s public information division. The first officer charged with reaching out to the Latino community, Gonzales conducted programs on Spanish-language TV station KMEX-TV Channel 34 and radio stations KALI-AM (1430) and KWKW-AM (1330), and spoke to several Latino organizations about police efforts.

But Gonzales, a native of Clifton, Ariz., who was reared in East Los Angeles, had already unofficially begun building bridges between the LAPD and Latinos before being appointed to the public information division. After joining the department in 1947, he worked briefly as a patrolman and at the city jail, then was assigned to the Training Division at the Police Academy in Chavez Ravine.

In those years, before Dodger Stadium was built there, the neighborhood was largely Latino. Gonzales, an indefatigable champion of young people, went to work battling gangs.

“We used to see kids come up to the fence in hot weather and look in at our pool,” he said at his retirement from the LAPD in 1967. “Under my supervision, we allowed them to swim and use the ball diamond.”

Gonzales also organized informal after-school gatherings, using academy classrooms for youth clubs. With the help of his wife, Julie, he staged not only sports events but also dances and social programs.

Steven Gonzales told The Times this week that many of the youths -- now in their 60s -- gather frequently and still revere his father for the attention and training he gave them.

In 1967, Gonzales was appointed by Gov. Ronald Reagan to the board of the California Youth Authority. He served two four-year terms.

In 1982, President Reagan named Gonzales to the position of U.S. marshal for the Los Angeles-based Central District, in charge of a staff of 50 for the area’s federal courts. He retired in 1988.

Throughout his career, Gonzales worked extensively with young people, whether the project was a part of his job or not. In addition to the Police Academy programs, he organized toy drives and Christmas parties for youths in East Los Angeles.

He volunteered for many years as a counselor at the R.M. Pyles Boys Camp for underprivileged children and for Anytown U.S.A. He was also on the boards of the All Nation Boys’ Club, Eastside Center, Friendship Day Camp and Woodcraft Rangers.

To encourage Latinos to attend college, he raised thousands of dollars for the Armando Castro Scholarship Fund, which assists East Los Angeles youths.

In addition to his son, Gonzales is survived by his wife, Julie.