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An up close and personal interview with U.S. Police Veteran and Togetherweserved.com Member:
M/PO William Rogers (1987-Present)
Denton County Sheriff's Department
WHAT INFLUENCED YOUR DECISION TO MAKE A CAREER IN LAW ENFORCEMENT?
I grew up in the 1960s and 1970s in what was Farmington Township, now Farmington Hills, in Oakland County west of Detroit. At the time there were lots of great cop show on television such as Dragnet and Adam-12, which reinforced my life-long desire to become a police officer. 
I served as a Police Explorer during my high school years, and I met some really great officers who always encouraged me and taught me some important LE basics. Unfortunately, all of the police agencies back then required their police cadets to be at least 5'8" or 5'10" tall. I guess it was during my Junior year in high school that I realized that I wasn't going to get any taller than the 5'6" I eventually became, so I turned my passion toward emergency medical services. After graduating in 1974, I became one of the first paramedics in the State of Michigan.
When I was 19 - about 3 months out of paramedic school - I delivered twin boys on the front seat of a car.
I moved to the Ann Arbor area around 1980 and worked as a Washtenaw County paramedic before moving to the Dallas area to teach emergency medicine at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School. In 1985, I joined the fire service and in addition to fire suppression and EMS duties, I was assigned temporary duty to the fire marshal. After two years in the fire service, my law enforcement career began.
WHAT WAS YOUR CAREER PATH AND WHAT ARE YOU DOING NOW?
After working as a paramedic for 12 years I saw that our sheriff's office needed medical detention officers, so I joined the sheriff and worked in the jail for 3 ½ years. By this time the height requirements had been pretty much eliminated, and I attended what was then the  Texas Reserve Peace Officer academy part-time while I worked deep nights in the jail. I passed the Texas Peace Officer licensing exam and was commissioned as a reserve deputy constable. I eventually left the jail to work for the constable full-time.
After 7 years as a patrol deputy I rejoined the sheriff's office as an investigator, and a year and a half later was promoted to Corporal in the administration division, where I wrote funding grants and managed the programs the grants paid for. One of those programs was an Edward Byrne Fund regional narcotics task force. When the then assistant commander was promoted to Lieutenant in command, I took his place and was promoted to Sergeant/Assistant Commander of the task force. I did that for 5 years, and then was promoted to lieutenant of the sheriff's training division.
Unfortunately when a new sheriff was elected he fired the entire command staff - me included - and I found myself looking for work. I was one of over 5,000 police instructors to apply with the US Department of Justice for an international training mission, and was one of 288 selected to travel to the Republic of Iraq to train their police officers and cadets.
I returned to North Texas after my year was done, and am now a Master Peace Officer for a local college police department.
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?
 You know, I came thiiiiiiiiiiis close to going into the US Air Force right after high school, but decided to pursue my EMS career. But I always regretted never having served my country.
When the opportunity to go to Baghdad and work with the Multi-National Security Transition Training Team-Iraq presented itself, I felt that it was my calling to finally give something back to my country.
WHICH, OF THE AGENCIES OR DEPARTMENTS YOU WERE ASSIGNED TO, DO YOU HAVE THE FONDEST MEMORIES OF AND WHY?
Definitely it was my years at the Denton County Sheriff's Office in Texas. The sheriff I worked for, Weldon Lucas, and our Chief Deputy, Charlie Fleming, were both retired Texas Rangers. I learned so much from them, and I was given opportunities that I never imagined I would ever have.
FROM YOUR ENTIRE LAW ENFORCEMENT CAREER WHAT PARTICULAR INCIDENT HAD THE BIGGEST IMPACT ON YOU AND WHY?
 I think the 5 years working narcotics has had the biggest impact on me.
Entering methamphetamine labs where all the noxious chemicals were not only all over the counters, floors, and walls, but also on the toys and clothing of the children who lived there really made me sad that any parent would expose their child to such poison.
OF THE MEDALS, AWARDS OR BADGES YOU RECEIVED, WHAT IS THE MOST MEANINGFUL TO YOU AND WHY?
I have to say that the Honorary Doctorate in Criminal Justice I received from the Republic of Iraq and the Baghdad Police College for training over 2,500 Iraqi Police Cadets and Officers during my year in Baghdad is the most special.
I was so impressed by their willingness to learn and apply what we were teaching them. They all have invisible targets painted on their uniforms, and they are being killed at a rate that would horrify people in the United States.
WHICH INDIVIDUAL PERSON FROM YOUR CAREER MADE THE MOST POSITIVE INFLUENCE ON YOU AND WHY?
 Aside from Sheriff Lucas and Chief Fleming, the person most influential to me was my FTO, Greg Leveling. Greg was always more than willing to teach me, and was patient with me during the times I was a complete screw-up.
I remember my first arrest. I was hemming and hawing around, and not exactly expressing myself as I should. Greg smiled, looked at our arrestee, and said, "What Deputy Rogers is trying so very hard NOT to say is, you are under arrest. Turn around and put your hands behind your back."
CAN YOU RECOUNT A PARTICULAR INCIDENT FROM YOUR CAREER THAT WAS FUNNY AT THE TIME AND STILL MAKES YOU LAUGH?
As the assistant commander of the narcotics task force I usually let the younger guys make the initial entrance during search warrant raids, so I quickly became the best back door watcher you could ever want.
One day we were raiding a mobile home. When the flash bang announced the start of the festivities I saw the  back door fly open, and a guy who was about 6 and a half feet tall fly through the door. When I stepped from around my cover position he saw me. Now I know that we are taught what to say in these circumstances "DON'T MOVE!", "LET ME SEE YOUR HANDS!" and the like. I have no idea what made me say this, but I raised my M-4 toward him, made eye contact, and asked, "Ya know what I'm trying to say here?" He said, "Yes, sir. I believe I do." and dropped to his knees. It still cracks me up!
WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER THE MOST IMPORTANT LESSON YOU HAVE LEARNED AS A LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER?
 Never violate the 2 Cardinal Rules:
1) Always conduct yourself so that when your shift is over you go home in the same physical and mental state you started the shift with, and;
2) Always conduct yourself to keep the boss out of federal court.
WHAT LAW ENFORCEMENT ASSOCIATIONS ARE YOU A MEMBER OF, IF ANY? WHAT SPECIFIC BENEFITS DO YOU DERIVE FROM YOUR MEMBERSHIP(S)?
I am a Charter Member of the Fraternal Order of Police, Baghdad Lodge #1.
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?
A great line from one of John Wayne's movies sums it up best: "I won't be wronged. I won't be insulted. I won't be laid a-hand on. I don't do these things to other people, and I require the same from them."
In other words, I try to treat people as I wish them to treat me.
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU HAVE FOR A ROOKIE WHO HAS JUST PUT ON THE BADGE?
 See Rule Number 1 and 2 above. That pretty much sums it up!
Seriously, my advice is to never trade your integrity for anything.
IN WHAT WAYS DO YOU FEEL THIS WEBSITE CAN BENEFIT THE LAW ENFORCEMENT COMMUNITY?
The Thin Blue Line stretches all the way around the world. This was the message I gave to my Iraqi Police Cadets. Being a part of this wonderful community is a privilege bestowed upon a very few, and opportunities to share and discuss - be it across the state or across continents - can only make us stronger and better.
TWS makes that more possible than any other media I can think of.
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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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