Officer Guillermo Santiago knows his English isn’t perfect. He’s learned much of it since moving to South Carolina from Puerto Rico in 2017. But, he is proud — of being fluent in two languages, of his heritage, and the difference he makes each day as a South Carolina Bureau of Protective Services officer.

“Everywhere I go, you can hear my accent,” he said with a smile. “I’m proud of it. I’m proud of being Puerto Rican.”

Born and raised in the San Juan suburb of Bayamón, Santiago entered law enforcement at the age of 18, joining the Puerto Rico Police.

“Everyone said the same thing when I was a kid,” he said. “I was raised with my grandparents, and they always said I would be an officer when I grew up.”

As a state officer in Puerto Rico, Santiago worked a variety of cases and calls from homicides, to drug arrests, to motorcycle details. While working a special detail on his motorcycle one day, he was presented with an opportunity to work at the Richland County Sheriff’s Department in Columbia, South Carolina. Wanting to move closer to his adult daughter, who lives in North Carolina, Santiago packed up and moved to South Carolina in 2017.

“It was a challenge,” he said. “It’s another place, another culture, after being in the same department for 22 years.”

With the sheriff’s department, Santiago worked in the Richland County Courthouse.

“My English wasn’t so great that I could converse completely,” he said. “I had many people who helped me — judges, clerks. Everyone helped me, and no one made jokes.”

While Santiago loved working with RCSD, it was during this time he started hearing about the Bureau of Protective Services’ mission within SCDPS. He quickly learned about the division’s family-like atmosphere, but was particularly impressed by his first interaction with Chief Matthew Calhoun after joining BPS in March 2021.

“He called me by my name, and my name is hard to pronounce,” he said. “He talked to me like we’d known each other forever. Those kinds of moments mean a lot.”

For Santiago, BPS and the State House are more than just a place he comes to work.

“They treat me like family,” he said. “That’s the reason why I want to stay here until I retire.”

Working at the front desk of the Edgar A. Brown Building on the State House Complex, Santiago is the first face each visitor sees when they walk in. That’s what he loves.

“It’s a joy, talking to people and hearing their stories,” he said. “You have to help people. This will be my 28th year in law enforcement, and I’m still not tired of helping people.”

And he’s grateful he can step in and shine when he encounters a Spanish-speaking visitor who isn’t confident in their English.  

“I can tell on their face that they’re scared,” he said. “I was like that when I first got here (to South Carolina). At one point, I questioned what I was doing here. So I feel very helpful knowing a second language, and grateful when I put a smile on their face when they learn I speak Spanish.”

National Hispanic Heritage Month is observed from September 15 through October 15. While Santiago said it is observed more in the mainland United States than in Puerto Rico, it is still an opportunity to pause and appreciate his heritage.

“It reminds me of how proud I am of my Hispanic people,” he said. “I’m proud of being Puerto Rican. Sometimes, I feel very sorry when people don’t know much about Puerto Rico and its history, or how Puerto became a U.S. territory.”

Santiago gets questions from people about his heritage. Some are surprised to learn that Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory; others are fascinated by the culinary differences between Puerto Rico, Mexico, Cuba, and Spain.

“I get many people asking me about tacos,” he said with a laugh, clarifying that tacos are a Mexican dish. “I get it, I get it. I don’t get offended.”

Living in South Carolina and telling people about Puerto Rico, Santiago said, allows him to share a little bit of his old home with his new home.

“I miss the food of Puerto Rico, and I miss the people,” he said. “But I’m grateful for the people of South Carolina. They treat me with respect. They make me feel at home again.”