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Blanca Kling Awarded Roscoe R. Nix Distinguished Community Leadership Award for Serving Montgomery County Residents for Four Decades.

On December 17, Blanca Kling, who passed away in January 2021, was awarded the Roscoe R. Nix Distinguished Community Leadership Award for serving Montgomery County residents for four decades.

Blanca began working as a Victim Assistant in Wheaton for Montgomery County Police in 1980. In 2005 she transitioned to the Public Information Division with the goal of helping to strengthen communications between the police department and the Hispanic community.

On January 27th, Montgomery County Police announced the passing of Blanca Kling due to COVID-19 related pneumonia at the age of 68.

Montgomery County Police released the following statement after her death:

Montgomery County Police Mourns the Passing of Hispanic Liaison Blanca Kling:

The Montgomery County Department of Police mourns the death of Blanca Kling, our Hispanic Liaison, who lost her battle with COVID pneumonia this morning. Our thoughts and prayers are with her husband, Tony, daughter Lizzie, son Jason, daughter-in-law Rachel, and twin grandsons Noah, and Matias. Blanca was a dedicated employee who spent over 40 years proudly serving this Department and always giving back to her community.
Blanca began her career in 1980 as a Victim Assistant in the Fourth District (Wheaton). She continued her work helping residents as a member of the Community Engagement Division and transitioned to working in the Public Information Division in 2005.
In her role in the Public Information Division, Blanca strengthened communication and understanding between the Police Department and Hispanic community members. Blanca wore many hats as a liaison, including graciously hosting town hall meetings, speaking about police matters on Univision, Telemundo, and various radio shows, and assisting investigators when they needed her. She embraced all these roles with selfless compassion.Blanca was not only a coworker to many but a caring friend. The number of people she helped during her career is immeasurable. Montgomery County and the world is better for knowing Blanca Kling.

The Montgomery County Council also released the following statement after her death:

Montgomery County Council Issues Statement on Blanca Kling’s Death

The Montgomery County Council offers its sincere condolences to the family, friends, and colleagues of Blanca Kling. Born in Bolivia, “Blanquita,” as she was often referred to by many in our community, had a long track record of public service and a lifetime of dedication to County government and our constituents.

A pillar in the Latino community, in 2005 she became the County Police Department’s Latino liaison, where she would often appear in front of television cameras and behind radio microphones to inform, forge authentic relationships and build bridges of collaboration between our Spanish-speaking constituents and our police force.

In 2016, then-Congressman Chris Van Hollen, nominated Blanquita to receive the Suzanne McDaniel Memorial Award, this award is given to individuals and organizations that have used their voice, throughout the media, to promote and bring about change at the national level for crime victims. She established many important partnerships and initiatives and gave voice to the Latino community’s needs and concerns. Her unwavering commitment to our constituents enriched our County in immeasurable ways.

Blanquita was loved, deeply admired and respected by all in our community. Outside of work, she was a devoted grandmother, mother, wife and a mentor to many. Blanquita will be sorely missed, but the legacy of her service, and her many contributions to supporting and uplifting others will always be cherished.”

The awards ceremony, honoring Blanca Kling, can be seen below:

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