As the community celebrated Thanksgiving, officers from the Starkville Police Department worked through the holiday to bring a sense of security and safety to area residents and holiday visitors.
For newly-hired patrol officer Quentin Saulsberry, who joined SPD last December, working through a holiday is one of the many sacrifices officers make when accepting a role in law enforcement.
"You have to understand that you are here to serve the community," Saulsberry said. "That's first-and-foremost. Everything is a service to the people. It's never about me."
At 6'2", his past as a former Mississippi State football and National Football League player follows him throughout the community. The 28-year-old started all 49 games of his MSU career. He was signed in 2012 as an undrafted free agent by the Minnesota Vikings, and later with the Denver Broncos.
During his time at MSU, Saulsberry took an internship with SPD. The brief crash course gave him a chance to see his potential future in law enforcement, he said. After consulting with MSU head football coach Dan Mullen, Saulsberry knew he had found his calling outside of football.
"It's been a good journey, and it primed me and got me ready for law enforcement," Saulsberry said. "There's a team element with it. Also, it's diverse. You see people from different backgrounds and cultures. You have to find ways to understand people and where they come from. There was something about law enforcement that intrigued me."
An Independence native, Saulsberry spent time working at the Tate County Jail before settling in with SPD. As a patrol officer, he works 12-hour shifts with other officers, and helps monitor Starkville's districts during all shifts.
For more, see the Nov. 25 edition.