Editor’s note: this is the first in what will be a bi-weekly series entitled: Behind the Badge. Each article will focus on a different officer with the police department and sheriff’s department in an effort to help the public better know their public servants.
It’s early in the year and the weather is cold. Poplar Bluff Police Department Officer Taylor Harlow is still in training and is with another officer when they see a vehicle driving with only one headlight. They get behind the vehicle and turn on their lights, but the vehicle won’t stop.
Though he was in training at the time, Harlow said the situation will stay with him as a reminder of how quickly the unexpected can occur.
“We followed them for a while because they weren’t pulling over,” he explained. “The speed never went up, so it wasn’t a high-speed chase or anything. But we finally got them to pull over and exit the vehicle. Once we had them secure, we checked the vehicle and found a bunch of narcotics.”
And that was the beginning of Harlow’s career as a police officer.
Harlow has been an officer with PBPD for less than a year at this point; but he says it is something he had always admired and considered as a possibility.
“I originally started here working dispatch in 2020,” he stated. “I got a good look at the department and how everything operates here, and I decided this is what I want to do.”
Harlow, 25, is originally from the area and is a graduate of Neelyville High School.
“I grew up watching the show ‘COPS’ and I really liked it. I always thought that the officers were good people that should be admired,” Harlow said. “When I got familiar with how things function in this department, I realized this is exactly what I want to do. I want to help people.”
Harlow went on to explain there are multiple facets of the job which bring him satisfaction on different levels.
“I like that I can see instant results,” he noted. “Whatever the call is, just showing up, my presence has an effect on the situation. I get to interact with the public and listen to their complaints and receive information. I get to listen to them and try to help them with the problems they’re dealing with at the time.”
Harlow describes the job as being like any other that has both good and bad aspects.
“Going through the academy, the idea is to learn to work in stressful environments and situations, so you can be prepared to deal with it in real life,” Harlow explained. “You have to learn to regularly expect the unexpected.”
Harlow said one of his favorite aspects of the job is working with veteran officers who can share their experiences with him.
“I just want to soak everything up like a sponge,” he remarked. “I want to hear their stories and listen to what they’ve experienced, because I know that I can learn from that and become a better officer.”
Harlow received training through the PBPD academy and said he believes it is a very valuable program.
“While in the academy, you receive a salary and they take good care of you,” he explained. “The older officers in the department are very supportive and they really just want to watch the younger officers grow.”
Harlow said it can be a little disheartening to encounter people who have a distrust of police officers; but he said he also understands that not everyone has the same types of interactions — either positive or negative — with law enforcement.
“Just like any other profession, you’re going to have some bad apples and some good apples,” he remarked. “I just want to show the people there are many more good apples than bad apples. I don’t think we have a single bad one in our department.”
Harlow said he loves the fact that officers wear body cameras while on duty.
“It is good for us, because when something happens there’s a record of it. It’s no longer a battle of one person saying one thing and the other person saying something else,” Harlow noted. “But I also like it because we can review the video and see the things that were done well, and the things that could be improved. It helps me learn to be a better officer.
“At the end of the day, I’m just a regular person like everyone else. I have ups and downs, good days and bad days. But I have also sworn to protect my fellow man at the risk of my own life. And I take that very seriously.”
Harlow said one thing he greatly enjoys is interacting with children while on the job.
“I love it because we are showing the children they have no reason to fear us, and we’re just regular people,” he explained. “We’re fortunate this community is so supportive of the police and all law enforcement. We serve the people and if there’s no trust there, then what do you have?”