NORTH TEXAS – Police and citizens interact every day. Sometimes, things go well, and sometimes, they don’t. But sometimes, they change the course of a person’s life.
Two Fort Worth police officers had a chance interaction 20 years ago that came full circle.
Chance Romans finished the academy last November. Jesse Norman graduated in 1998 — a veteran and rookie, riding in the same car.
“We always make the joke, you went from the back seat to the front seat,” said Norman.
Twenty years ago, Norman and Romans met under different circumstances.
“We’d gotten a call, some kids were throwing rocks,” said Norman.
Nothing crazy, but when Norman showed up, Romans and his friends ran. Norman chased.
“He more or less caught up to me and took me back to my parents’ house, my grandparents’ house. Turned me back over to my mom, and we had a stern conversation,” said Romans. “His words from that stuck to me for many years going forward. Basically, just, you keep going down this path you’ll be pretty screwed.”