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An up close and personal interview with U.S. Police Veteran and Togetherweserved.com Member:
SGT Scott T Joy (1997-Present)
Yavapai County Sheriff's Office
WHAT INFLUENCED YOUR DECISION TO MAKE A CAREER IN LAW ENFORCEMENT?
Growing up I was always in awe of the dedication and service shown by the police officers in my hometown. From the street level officers who drove past my house to the specialty officers and demonstrations at my schools there was always a sense of duty and calm they showed. 
The biggest influence, however; was from my father, though he didn't know it at the time. To give a little history, my family has a long and storied military background. From my great (7 generations back) grandfather and his service in the war of 1812, my great (5 generations back) grandfather in the Civil War, my great grandfather in WWI, my dad's father in WWII, my mom's father in Korea, my father in Viet Nam, my enlistment in the Army and now my cousin who just celebrated his 20th anniversary in "The Corps" my family has always been involved in the military and public service. The Airman in the middle is my dad while in Vietnam.
In Viet Nam my father was an Airman in the Air Force and was assigned as a military Special Police officer in Da Nang. He and his unit came under rocket attack four times during one of his tours. During these attacks my father was responsible for maintaining order (as much as possible given the situation) and calling out response lines. While not directly related to his position in the SP's his ability to keep his wits about him and assist those in need shaped him into the man I always saw as being calm under pressure and in control of his environment. Having him as a role model for my life helped me decide my path and let me know I would always have his guidance and support, in flesh and spirit, in whatever I decided to do.
Thanks to my father for being who he was I have been able to make my own way in the world. I love you Buddy.
WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR CAREER PATH AND WHAT ARE YOU DOING NOW?
I began my career in law enforcement working as a Detention Officer for the Yavapai County Sheriff's Office in 1997. I worked as a DO for only 14 months but in that short span of time I was helping to train new hires, working as a Trustee Officer and developing  my "interpersonal communications" with the local "underbelly" of our community.
In 1999 I attended the Northern Arizona Regional Training Academy (NARTA) for my Arizona State POST certification. After graduating in May 1999 from NARTA Class #6 (they're graduating Class #34 this May) I was assigned to work in the Prescott Area for my Patrol Duties.
In 2001 I received my General Instructor certification and began teaching non-high liability courses.
In 2002 I received my FTO certification. Only three years on the job and someone, somewhere in my chain of command, felt I was doing a good enough job to began shaping the future of my agency... If only it were that easy! Luckily for me I had a good grasp on my duties and a background in teaching so for the next 10 years I worked as a Field Training Officer helping to mentor and train the next generation of Law Enforcement for Yavapai County.
In 2002 I also tested and became a member of the YCSO SWAT Team. During the almost 4 years I spent on SWAT I attended a Joint Task Force/DELTA 6 drug interdiction school, became a team designated marksman and helped to serve numerous warrants and call outs.
In 2004 I became a member of the YCSO Honor Guard and remain a member of this distinguished group.
In 2008 I was assigned as a Recruit Training Officer (RTO) at NARTA for Class #25. Initially I was the only RTO assigned for a class of 35 recruits... Thankfully, on the second day of class, another RTO was assigned and the class was split. Having a span of control of 1:19 was much easier to manage than a 1:35!!
I am still with the Yavapai County Sheriff's Office and on Dec 2, 2012 I was promoted to the rank of Sergeant and am currently supervising 8 Deputes in the Southern Area Command/East. Photo is me with my wife.
DID YOU SERVE IN THE MILITARY PRIOR? AND IF SO, IN WHAT BRANCH OF SERVICE? IN WHAT WAYS HAS MILITARY SERVICE INFLUENCED YOUR CAREER IN LAW ENFORCEMENT?
In 1995 I enlisted in the US Army and was assigned to basic training with the 2nd Battalion/13th Infantry at Fort Jackson, South Carolina. Unfortunately, I tore a ligament in my knee and was medically discharged prior to entering active service.
Although I was never able to actively serve, my respect and honor for the US Military will never be diminished. The codes of honor and discipline run deep.
WHICH, OF THE AGENCIES OR DEPARTMENTS YOU WERE ASSIGNED TO, DO YOU HAVE THE FONDEST MEMORIES OF AND WHY?
 As I have only worked for one agency in my career, The Yavapai County Sheriff's Office, all of my memories are from this agency.
Well, except for the few times I did plain clothes ride-alongs with friends from other agencies and ended up in foot pursuits and weapons out building clearances that is.
FROM YOUR ENTIRE LAW ENFORCEMENT CAREER WHAT PARTICULAR INCIDENT HAD THE BIGGEST IMPACT ON YOU AND WHY?
In 2000 I was working a graveyard shift and had a volunteer riding with me. A neighboring agency was involved in an officer involved shooting stemming from a stolen vehicle and a subsequent pursuit ensued.
Knowing the route the pursuit was taking I stationed myself to intercept the vehicle and lend assistance to the other patrol units.
Unfortunately the pursuit made its way into the downtown area at "closing time" for the local bars. The pursuit was terminated when the suspect vehicle collided with a pickup truck with 3 young men inside. All three of the innocent victims were tragically killed in the collision, yet the  suspect lived. Unfortunately he will spend the rest of his life in prison. I say unfortunately as I believe it should have been him who died that night. Not as a matter of vengeance, but rather as justice for his unconscionable acts that led to the devastating loss of three innocents.
Looking back on the incident I was plagued with doubts about whether I had made the right decision to be/stay in law enforcement. Could I handle these situations? Would I be able to handle seeing anything like this again? How do I cope with these types of calls and still be able to help those who need it?
The doubts were short lived however as I knew from that incident that yes I was strong enough to handle this. This situation has not happened again, but many others have come in the years since and each has only strengthened my resolve to continue along the path and help those that I can.
I have an amazing, wonderful family and agency that offered me assistance and support through anything I endured. Knowing they were there then, and that they continue to be there though it all is amazing and for that I am eternally grateful.
WHICH INDIVIDUAL PERSON FROM YOUR CAREER MADE THE MOST POSITIVE INFLUENCE ON YOU AND WHY?
There were many people who worked on influencing my career. Some for the way they acted to show me what *NOT* to do, others for their support and encouragement.
The person who I currently think helped shape my career was LT Wm. Wayne Loughrige. Wayne was one of my SGT's when  I worked in the jail and later became my LT in patrol operations.
He had a way about him that was cordial with the public, open with his friends, and feared (yet respected) by the inmates. It didn't hurt that he was about 6'04" and weighed over 300lbs...
But inside that big, BIG frame was a man of conviction, tolerance, wit and wisdom. He could recite statutes and codes until he was blue in the face. He was a man always ready with a joke or hand to lend when help was needed.
We often "butted heads" over call responses, and he was the first supervisor I ever had that rated me "below standards" in a category on an evaluation. He always told me that it was because he knew me and knew I was capable of more so it was my own standard that I had failed to meet.
He showed me that even though there may be policy on a subject and that certain things had been done "this way" forever, it didn't mean it was the only way to work. He always made me think of new ways to do things, and to never come to him with a problem if I didn't have an idea for a solution.
Unfortunately Wayne was killed in an off duty auto accident on Jan 11, 2013. Thankfully he was able to be present to see my promotion to SGT. It was the last time I saw him and I keep a picture of us from that ceremony on my desk to remind me of better days and to guide me into the future.
WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER THE MOST IMPORTANT LESSON YOU HAVE LEARNED AS A LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER?
I believe one of the most important lessons I have ever learned in law enforcement is to treat others with respect, dignity and fairness.
In 1998 while working in the jail we were severely understaffed. There were approximately 160 inmates and only 4 officers manning the facility during the shift.  Thankfully they were separated into 7 different "dorms" so we did not have to deal with all of them at one time. Photo of Yavapai County Jail.
On this particular shift a fight broke out in a dorm and I was the only officer that was able to go in. I was able to get the instigators separated and return some semblance of order to the dorm. I dealt with the situation quickly, but was fair and not "overly hostile" as some other DO's had been in similar circumstances.
Fast forward about three years and I was working patrol. I responded to a domestic disturbance and my back up was probably about 30 minutes away (we're kind of stretched thin out in the county). As I was going up to the house the male subject came out and began yelling at me.
A neighbor heard this and came out and began to yell at the suspect to leave me alone. That I was "one of the good ones" and he should show me some respect.
It turns out the neighbor was one of the inmates who had been involved in the dorm room fight and he remembered me for fairness I had shown him, even though he (by his own admission) had been in the wrong all those years before.
By showing fairness, respect and dignity then, I was able to turn a (potential) adversary into an advocate and hopefully foster a better image for law enforcement in general.
WHAT LAW ENFORCEMENT ASSOCIATIONS ARE YOU A MEMBER OF, IF ANY? WHAT SPECIFIC BENEFITS DO YOU DERIVE FROM YOUR MEMBERSHIP(S)?
 I am a member of AZCOPS, the Arizona Conference of Police and Sheriff's.
I am also the president of the Yavapai County Deputies Association (YCDA) which operates under AZCOPS.
The major benefit of our association is the legal package provided to our membership. As a member we have attorneys on retainer for protection during any officer involved shooting, in custody death or major accident where the County Attorney's cannot offer services.
The AZCOPS attorneys also help with legal council during disciplinary procedures that can result in time off without pay or termination from employment.
HOW HAS SERVING AS A LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER INFLUENCED THE WAY YOU CONDUCT YOUR PERSONAL LIFE AND YOUR RELATIONSHIPS WITH OTHERS OUTSIDE OF THE DEPARTMENT?
As all of us on this site know it's not easy maintaining friendships with those who are not "on the job." It's not easy, but it really is beneficial.
For many years I fought, and fought hard, the "us vs. them" mentality. Those that don't do "the job" have a  hard time understanding us. Many can't seem to wrap their heads around the evils we see everyday. I felt the pressures of "staying in the herd" and not letting people from "the outside world" into my personal circle.
We all know the story of the "dinner party." You walk in, see people mingling and introductions are made. "This is John, he's a Doctor." "That's Dave, he's a lawyer." "Hey, meet Scott, he's a cop."
You rarely hear if Jim is a landscaper, or Steve runs a backhoe, but if you are one of the "lucky few" with a career worth noting you'll hear it. And eventually it starts to wear on you, that your career choice has become what defines you to everyone new you meet.
And wear it did. For a while at least.
But then I realized, if I don't let them in who will? Who better to help "the others" understand what it is we do, how we do it and why? Who better than one of our brotherhood to reach out and actually become part of the community we serve rather than look at it from behind our windshield and react with them only when dispatched to a call. Who better than to start showing them that we are more than, "Scott, the cop."
I started going new places and meeting new people. At first it was with a (very) wary eye and the suspicion I was "taught" at the academy. "Are they going to attack me?" "Which of them has a warrant?" "Is that marijuana I smell?" I was "condition orange" almost all of the time. It got  tiresome, and quickly, but I knew I had to continue on. I had to show them I was a person first and foremost.
It took a long time for me to become comfortable in different social situations. It was hard to make new friends. But each time I did I became a better person for it. I was able to become "human" to new people.
I would take the initiative in the introductions, and would answer the always present questions, but I stopped letting it bother me. I embraced that I was in law enforcement and worked hard to "set people straight" about the nature of our careers. I no longer felt the need to hold on to the "us vs. them" and instead tried to make it a "we."
I still stay alert to danger signs. I still approach things with a level of skepticism. I'm still at "condition yellow" (much to my wife's dismay) and will remain that way.
I'm still Scott. I'm still a cop. But to the people I've met and become friends with they see me for me first, and that's something I've learned to love.
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU HAVE FOR A ROOKIE WHO HAS JUST PUT ON THE BADGE?
The biggest piece of advice I think I could offer is to be honest in all that you do.
Whether it is on duty or off, if you live long enough to  make this profession a career you will be placed into situations where it would be easier to lie than tell the truth.
My career has never been in jeopardy for what I did on duty. But there were a couple of times when I was a "young gun" when I let my judgment get away me and ended up in the Captain's Office. "Conduct unbecoming" is the term that was used in the brief of complaint.
I could have played it off, minimized my involvement, or denied it, but the truth is the truth and it will always find a way. So I was honest. "Honest to a fault" is what was said in the findings of the investigation.
I'm now in my 16th year and had I not been honest then I would never have made it to 5.
So be honest. Even if it hurts momentarily you'll have a clean conscience (and probably personnel jacket!).
IN WHAT WAYS DO YOU FEEL THIS WEBSITE CAN BENEFIT THE LAW ENFORCEMENT COMMUNITY?
 I like the fact that there is a national law enforcement website that allows all officers to connect. Our work-world is the same whether we are county sheriffs or large city police. We enforces laws that are generally the same. The dangers we face every day when we get up and put on our badges are no different. So too are our public safety concerns. With this website, we have a place to discuss issues, problems and solutions in a secure environment.
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TWS VOICES
TWS Voices are the personal stories of men and women who currently serve, or who previously served as a US Police or Federal Officer, and conveys how serving their Country and Community has made a positive impact on their lives. If you would like your story to be featured in a future edition of Voices, or know someone else who may be interested, please contact TWS Voices HERE.
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For all current serving and veteran Police Officers, Together We Served is a secure, feature rich website enabling Officers to reconnect with lost Brothers and Sisters, share in the camaraderie of other Officers, network for professional purposes and to honor the service of all.
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