Maria Canchola Papers

The Maria Canchola Papers are divided into 5 series.

The first series, Precinct 4 Office Files, contains records pertaining to the administration of staff and the Precinct 4 building and law enforcement training manuals and directories.

The second series, Community Involvement, focuses on Canchola's outreach to constituents and organizations within Precinct 4. As constable, Canchola worked with local organizations in her precinct to help constituents in need. Some of her community work included helping constituents hurt by floods in Onion Creek and assisting with flood recovery and preparedness, meeting with local neighborhood organizations to develop strategies for crime prevention, and engaging with local leaders and developers about toll road management and enforcement.

The third series, Veterans, consists of records related to Canchola’s work on behalf of veterans. Canchola played a critical role in the establishment of the Travis County Veterans Court in 2010. The Travis County Veterans Court was created to funnel former service members away from substance abuse and criminality and into the court's program of treatment and counseling for mental and emotional disorders related to their military service. Canchola was the creator of the Travis County Veterans Intervention Project (VIP), a task force that assessed the need for a veteran’s court and the extent of challenges facing veterans in Travis County. She also worked with local veterans advocates to find and develop services for veterans, responded to local veterans’ requests for help, and made speeches and presentations that promoted the needs of veterans in Travis County.

The fourth series, Juvenile Issues, contains records related to Canchola’s work with Travis County schools and students. Canchola was a strong advocate for truancy prevention and keeping students away from criminal activity. In 2001, she established a mentorship program at Travis High School for at risk Hispanic girls. In the mentorship program, Canchola and other female Hispanic leaders spoke to the girls about making the right decisions and staying in school. Also at Travis High School, she met regularly with immigrant parents to help and encourage their involvement in their children’s future. She worked with Project Spotlight to assist young probationers reform their lives through an intensive supervision program and was involved with the Absent Student Assistance Program, a program aimed at reducing truancy through opening communication between the student, school district and parent / guardian.

The fifth series, Memorabilia, holds mostly personal items related to local events, her community work and interests, and her political campaigns and elections. The series also contains awards and commendations she received both as a deputy constable and as constable.