Have you ever wanted to interview a cop? Mr. Turner is the security guard for Emporia Middle School. In this interview, I’m going to interview Mr. Turner about his time in the police force and his switch to a school security guard..

Q: How long were you a police officer?

A: I’ve been an officer for 30 years.

Q: What was the best part about being a police officer?

A: The relationship with my fellow officers and employees at the police station.

Q: What was the worst part about being a police officer?

A: All the death investigations that we do, whether it be criminal or natural. That also includes death notifications and telling the family members that they have passed.

Q: What would be some advice that you would give someone that wants to start in law enforcement?

A: Stay out of trouble, get as much education as you can, and get computer skills.

Q: What were your positions?

A: A Patrol officer, Patrol supervisor, Drug/FDA, and Traffic accident investigation

Q: What made you want to become a police officer?

A: As a minor child, I was hit by a vehicle and it made me want to help people.

Q: Where did you train?

A: All over the place. The state academy is outside of a town a little west of Hutchinson.

Q: What type of training did you have to go through?

A: The basic training is going through practice time at the range for guns, self-defense classes, and criminal crime classes.

Q: Why did you decide to leave the police station?

A: You reach a max with your retirement and you don’t get as much paid retirement.

Q: What was the hardest part about being a police officer?

A: To remember the fact that when you deal with a person you might be dealing with the worst part of their day, and you have to spin it so that they don’t get mad.

Q: How dangerous is the job?

A: When an officer does a car stop, they don’t know who’s in that car, and they don’t know if they have a gun or not. And when people get called to a house, they don’t what they will find.

Q: How long did it take you to become a police officer?

A: My state academy training was 5 weeks long. Now it’s 14 weeks, and after you get out of an academy, you have a training officer. It takes about 3 months, but it takes around 6 months for the full training.

Q: What are the differences between being a police officer and a security guard?

A: The arrest power. So, usually if we need to arrest someone, I’ll call the cops so that they do it.

I didn’t know that you had to do training for half the year. I’m glad that you ran out of time and came to Emporia Middle School. I wanted to thank Mr. Turner for the time that he took out of his schedule for letting me interview him. If you see Mr. Turner in the hall, say hi.