Why did you become a cop?

Throughout my career, people ask me, “What made you decide to become a police officer?” If time permits, I try to tell them the long version. But if not, I give them the short story which is that God drew me to this profession. It had to be him because growing up I never wanted to be a cop.

The long answer is as follows: While growing up, my primary aspiration was to make something of myself as a repayment to my grandparents and my mother who sacrificed so much to ensure that my sister and I had what we needed while growing up. God used this career to do just that. Not only did he allow this career to provide for me, he used this career to show me how strong I was and allowed me to share my own stories of tribulation and triumph with those I came in contact and vice versa.

My second aspiration was to defy the negative statistics that one my teachers spouted off in a class about how minorities graduated from high s