The Face Behind The Badge: Emily Stephenson

Stephen Henderson talks with Probationary Police Officer Emily Stephenson about why she decided to join the Detroit Police Department.  She shares her personal experiences and her thoughts about the the job of being a member of the Detroit PD.  Stephenson is an Eastpointe native currently assigned to a Field Training Officer in Detroit’s 3^rd precinct, who will monitor her training through her probationary phase.  Once this phase concludes this coming January, she will become a Detroit Police Officer. 

• Motivations: Stephenson says that this is not the right job for someone who is motivated by money, and that it takes a special type of person.  She says that although the desire to serve the public is a cliché, it is important.  She also says that she is motivated because she wants her six-year-old son to live in a safe world, and today’s streets are not as safe as they used to be. 
• Strenuous training:  Stephenson says that training was difficult, with “endless sleepless nights” during the legal course, and physical conditioning on top of eight hour class days.  She says that despite this, only three or four people dropped out of her 31 person class.
• Diverse class:  Stephen asks what the makeup of her class was like, and if it represented a diverse group of people.  Stephenson says that her class was great, and was very diverse.  She says that it was a mix of suburban people and Detroiters, and that they keep in touch with each other post-graduation. 
• Community engagement: A caller asks how much time officers spend on the streets interacting with communities.  Stephenson says that in the third precinct she spends a lot of time outdoors in communities.  She says they have foot patrols, and Captain Tosqui has created beats for this purpose. 
• Goals: Stephenson says she would like to work in a canine or mounted unit, and that her ultimate goal is to become a homicide detective. 

Click the audio link above to hear the full conversation.