Just like any little kid, the flashing lights and blaring sirens of a cop car left one of the Tallahassee Police Department’s newest recruits dreaming of the day he’d get to drive a patrol car of his own.
Patrick Garrett said that once he grew up and realized there are true victims out there, his call to serve was solidified.
“I know this is a hard career field, but I thought how I could be one of those people who can actually help people that can’t help themselves,” Garrett said.
Garrett is one of 15 new TPD officers who swore in on Jan. 22, filling some of the new positions that opened up after the city commission voted on a tax hike that would largely fund the hiring of 20 more officers, higher wages and technology for TPD.
Prior to settling in Tallahassee with his family for his wife’s job, Garrett worked at a sheriff’s office in north Georgia before enlisting in the army. After serving in the military, he got his degree in law enforcement intelligence from Florida State University and did an internship at the DeFuniak Springs Police Department in Walton County.