By: Elizabeth Nielson

The secrets of patrolling the Taylorsville community

By: Elizabeth Nielson

Taylorsville has a variety of criminal activity, but the officers in Taylorsville attempt to have their community under control for a safer environment. “I just want to make a change, some for the good and some for the bad,” an officer from the Taylorsville Police Department said. He was granted anonymity because he feared professional repercussions for speaking to the media. It is his duty 24/7 to keep the individuals in Taylorsville safe and comfortable.

The officer was able to talk about his career as a police officer. He explained, “Now, if I get a critical dispatch I will have to leave this conversation without fair warning,” he said. Eleven years ago he decided to pack up his belongings in California and begin his journey as a freshman student at the University of Utah. He graduated within four years with his bachelor’s degree with the anticipation of becoming a police officer.

Becoming a police officer changed his life. The stress and misery led to divorce and leaving behind his two children. His decision left a negative, sorrowful relationship with his kids, but he enjoyed his career more than anything, creating a drastic family separation. Having family problems and regulating citizens to obey the law, he has much to deal with everyday.

According to Police Chief Magazine, law enforcement careers have a higher rate in divorce than any other career. Citizen’s who serve their country and societies are at a higher risk for divorce. Domestic stress, working unusual hours, missing out on family activities, and putting their life at risk are just some reasons for an unhappy marriage. Being in an unhappy marriage may effect how the child is raised. In the officer’s case his child is affected by the divorce and it may have significant influence on the rest of his life. This is an example of a problematic situation for a child, but issues of child rearing can become more severe.

An ongoing investigation in Taylorsville had this officer mortified by the way a 5-year-old boy was treated. The parents of this 5-year-old boy became aggravated by the way he was acting and beat him to death. The officer explaining this horrifying story said, “This is why we don’t like to share stories.” Through personal and social experiences he emotionally and psychically copes by exercising the pain away.

Several topics in the news are related to guns and policemen abusing the system. By having negative standpoints in the media, it didn’t affect the way he considered gun control and officers abusing the system. He expressed that things happen and it’s your own responsibility to learn from them. It doesn’t matter about your race, gender, age or ethnicity. When breaking the law, consequences do happen, said. Once you are in the system, they know who you are and it’s easier to find you.

This officer has had a difficult life so far dealing with an ever-demanding need of protecting his community and tried having a family while doing this.

Work Cited

Westphal, G. (2009). Police Chief Magazine: Enforcement Healthy Marriage and Family Project. Retrieved October 1, 2015

Filed under: Student-Journalists |