Macie King interviews the officers of the University Police Department-Northern Command
Looking for inspiration, King, a recent graduate and intern with UPDNC, asked three individuals how they decided on a career in law enforcement
As someone who just graduated from college, I find it fascinating to hear about what drives someone to their profession. While some degrees lead directly to specific careers, others are so versatile they can feel aimless. So, how do fresh graduates navigate finding a job that inspires them? Interviewing the University Police Department - Northern Command (UPDNC) Police Officers and Community Service Officers (CSOs) made me realize that inspiration can come from simple life experiences and doesn’t need to rely on a diploma. Deputy Chief Reynolds, Officer Piñón, and CSO Davila graciously explained to me what led them to choose a career in law enforcement.
For CSO Davila, law enforcement has always been a dream of his. “Probably since I was a kid, I just had this dream that I wanted to be a police officer,” Davila said. “And every step of my life through school I was kind of committed to that. And I just never let that dream go.”
As a child, Davila was captivated by the fast cars and cool uniforms, but as he grew older, he came to admire the profound impact law enforcement can have on communities. Now, as a CSO, Davila has solidified his passion for community engagement.
When asked about the most rewarding aspects of his position, Davila highlighted that the opportunity to attend events and engage with community members is at the top of his list.
Davila believes seeing a friendly face from law enforcement is crucial in a university environment. “Just having that recognizability in the department is really important so the university community can feel comfortable with any officer, not just one,” Davila said.
Deputy Chief Reynolds shares this same passion for his community, which is one reason he chose a law enforcement career. “I always wanted to have a positive impact on my community,” Reynolds said. “I also enjoyed the thought of being able to encounter many different individuals with varying degrees of life experience and how that would likely lead to me learning many different things.”
As the Deputy Chief of UPDNC, Reynolds can watch young adults grow, improve themselves and eventually graduate, ready to begin a new chapter of their lives. Not only do students have the chance to learn from Reynolds, but he also has the opportunity to gain new perspectives and life experiences, continually bettering himself.
“My chief is very inspirational and motivational and often speaks of ‘The Starfish Story.’ I wholeheartedly believe in the message within the story, ‘It made a difference to that one.’ If I can be a positive influence and make a positive impact on one person’s life situation, then it is worth it,” Reynolds said.
Being in a university environment, Reynolds has had the opportunity to educate and ultimately prepare his community for worst-case scenarios. “I have had the opportunity to educate hundreds of young female students while instructing women’s self-defense classes,” Reynolds said. “I have provided active assailant presentations and met with various groups to discuss many other topics related to safety. As mentioned above with ‘The Starfish Story,’ if I can make a positive impact on just one of these persons and the result is that they are safer or more confident, then it is all worth it,” Reynolds concluded.
Unlike Chief Reynolds and CSO Davila, who each knew from a young age that they wanted to pursue careers in law enforcement, Officer Piñón initially envisioned attending law school after earning his bachelor's degree.
Piñón applied to some local law enforcement agencies as a backup plan while considering law school, never truly intending to enter that career. However, after the Oct. 1, 2017 shooting in Las Vegas, he felt a profound calling to help those in need.
“Though I was not there at the time it occurred, the aftermath of the Route 91 shooting made me feel helpless while, at the same time, feel a sense of duty,” Piñón said. “I felt that since I had the ability to do more, I have the obligation to do more. I took a few more years to earn my graduate degrees before I was eventually hired by UPDNC.”
Piñón particularly appreciates how he can “solve the problem upstream.” With a smaller community to care for, Piñón can dedicate more time to providing resources and ensuring individuals receive the long-term care they need.
“By far, this has been one of the most challenging and rewarding jobs I have done,” Piñón said. “We only get to see a keyhole-sized glimpse on the law enforcement profession in the media. At the end of the day, our job is to enforce the law and to ensure the safety of the community. However, being able to do more in pursuit of those objectives is another perk of the job.”
