Today is the day. Today is the day Jody hangs up the gun belt and leaves the only career he has ever known. Today is the day that Jody goes 10-10 for the final time. Today is the day I get to witness as the men and women who Jody calls family come together to honor their brother with a ceremony unique to this elite brotherhood.
On August 10, 1981 Jody took an oath to protect and serve the citizens of San Diego County. It was an oath he had been waiting to take since he was 5 years old. Every year from the time he was old enough to know “what do you want to be when you grow up?” meant, the answer was a police officer. At the age of 7 he did tell his mom a fireman, then came back to her a few days later and said, “No I really just want to be a policeman.” Jody took the oath to protect and serve seriously and was one of those people who got into law enforcement knowing it was a job he could do that would make a difference. Perhaps, that difference would only be in just one person’s life but he knew that it was worth it.
I met Jody in October of that same year. I was 13. We were at a birthday party for Jody’s niece and he walked in like he was the biggest, most important person there. He made a huge deal about taking his gun off and putting it on a high shelf in the house, while lecturing everyone to leave it alone because guns are dangerous. I was sitting on the couch with my dad. My dad was the kind of guy who said it like it was. There wasn’t any pretense with him. Yet he rarely spoke up and even rarer would use profanity. As this big show was going on I heard my dad say, “what an a**hole.” At that point I had to agree.
I will stray from the story of Jody’s career a bit to tell you how Jody and I “re-met”. A few years later I was babysitting the above mentioned niece and Jody would often stop by the house to use the pool. He would bring his son, Andrew and the kids would all play together. Jody and I would sit on either side of the shallow end of the pool watching the kids and talk. I had just got out of an ugly relationship and he was someone I could vent to. I soon realized that the “a**hole” I had met a few years back really was a nice guy. I started babysitting Andrew as well and spent most of my summer with them. I went back to school as a senior; yes I was still in high school at this point. He went back to his life and I rarely saw him. That changed in February 1986 when we began dating.
As a Sheriff’s deputy Jody was required to work the jail for a few years. It wasn’t what he had gotten into law enforcement for but it was a necessary part of getting to where he wanted to be. He was starting to get disillusioned by how long his stint in the jail had become. It was exciting to see when he was finally assigned to patrol in May 1986. And, of all the areas of the county he could have worked, he was assigned to the Poway station, the city he grew up in. While in Poway he worked patrol. Being the rookie around some seriously seasoned deputies he was assigned mostly to the grave yard shift. He truly didn’t mind. He was finally doing what he wanted to do his whole life.
Jody and I got married on July 25, 1987. He was still working in Poway and we decided to live there. There were a few incidences where I wondered if I could be a cop’s wife. One of Jody’s good friends was killed during a SWAT raid. Going to Lonnie’s funeral really made me question whether or not I wanted to spend my life worrying about losing Jody. Jody sensed my fear and got permission for me to go on a ride-along. I remember walking away from that ride knowing that my husband was a great cop and he would do whatever it took to come home every day to his family. Another time a man Jody helped put in jail was released and began to stalk me. I was pregnant with Carsen and scared out of my mind. Jody had me go stay with some friends while the man was once again arrested. I knew that Jody would do whatever he could to protect me and our family. There was no doubt after that, I knew I was meant to be, not only a cop’s wife, but more importantly this cop’s wife!
In 1991 we decided it was time to get out of San Diego. It was very expensive to live there and it would require both of us to work full time. Carsen was born in 1988 and we did not want her being raised by day care providers. It was a hard decision since Jody had lived there all his life but we knew it was the right one. Jody looked at dozens of agencies in Northern California. The only department he ever truly considered was Vacaville Police Department. On October 31, 1991 I watched as Jody took the oath to protect and serve the citizens of Vacaville. Once again he took that oath seriously and wanted to make a difference. I think over the last 20 years he has done exactly that.
Jody has worked patrol, detectives and traffic. He was on the SWAT team and did a short stint in narcotics. He is a defensive tactics instructor, a fitness instructor and bike officer. Over the years I have watched as he has transformed from a rookie cop asking questions of others to a seasoned officer that people now come to with questions. He has earned the respect of fellow officers and has grown as a cop. I have heard fellow officers say, “if I’m in a bar fight I want Jody as my back-up”, “I hope I’m in half the shape he is when I’m 40…45…50 ”, “he has more police knowledge in his little finger then I do in my whole body”. Although he is known as a “bad-a**” I know he is really just a big softie that still wants to make a difference in someone’s life. I’ve watched as he cried over the loss of a baby, rejoiced over a life saved and raged against a child wronged. At times he has doubted his ability to make a difference, not from his doing but from a justice system that makes it too easy for criminals to get away with the crimes they commit.
I asked our kids what it meant to them to have a dad that was a cop. Kynsley said, “I like riding in his police car”. Dylan’s response was, “I’ve always felt safe”. Shane said, “Even when I was little I understood the danger of what my dad did. I always knew that something could happen but it never worried me because I knew he would do everything he could to come home at night. I was and always will be proud of what he has done. Even though most people have lost respect for cops I always knew that my dad was one of the “cool” ones. I loved going out with him every night and checking to see if all the lights on the cop car worked and he would show me how to operate everything. For the rest of my life I will be proud of what my dad has done and I loved every second I could spend with him on duty. His success is quickly leading me into the same field and I would be proud to follow in his footsteps”. Carsen responded with, “I always felt safe. When the ‘my dad can beat up your dad’ childhood squabble came up, I was always confident there was no competition. When I got older and people started not liking cops, I’d always say ‘yeah but my dad is the good kind.’ Sometimes I’d get scared something would happen to him but [Mom] always assured me he was well trained.”
Being a cop’s wife isn’t easy. Shift work is hard on a family. The callousness that develops as a defense mechanism can be frustrating. But, through it all I knew that Jody was doing exactly what God called him to do. I feel honored to be able to walk beside him through this journey. And besides all that, he looks damn good in a uniform!
Jody, I am proud of all you have done for us and for the people who you were called to protect. You have served the city of Vacaville, as well as the county of San Diego before that, with honor and dignity. You may be retiring officially today from police work, but the calling God placed on you 30 years ago is still there. I have no doubt you will continue to make a difference in the lives you touch.
Oh, and did I mention… you look damn good in your uniform ;)
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