MURFREESBORO – Several weeks ago, the Murfreesboro Police Department presented 22-year old Officer Jeffrie David &uot;Dave&uot; Jacobs to the town, welcoming him as the newest addition to the law enforcement staff.

Jacobs, originally from Merritt Island, Florida graduated this past May with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology before completing 10 weeks of training at the police academy where he was named &uot;top gun&uot; for being the number one cadet in fire arms and rated best all around cadet.

Jacobs, a second-generation police officer, said that the example set by his father, a Lieutenant Swat Commander in St. Louis, Missouri, was largely his inspiration for choosing a career in law enforcement.

&uot;When I was sworn in in January, it was really special to have my father there,&uot; said Jacobs, who recalled being &uot;pinned&uot; by his father during the ceremony.

&uot;It was an honor to know that I would be serving the community and have the chance to impact the lives of so many people.&uot;

Before moving to Hertford County, Jacobs served as an intern for the Delaware State Police Department in the Community Police Program during the summer of 2002.

&uot;I decided to stay here when my dad and I came here to visit and met with Chief Rowe,&uot; said Jacobs. &uot;When we met the Chief, my father and I were very impressed with him and the way he handled the affairs of his department. We thought very highly of him.&uot;

Jacobs added that the opportunity for continuing education along with the family environment in Murfreesboro played a big role in his decision to relocate to the area.

&uot;It’s very important to me to continue my education,&uot; said Jacobs who is currently enrolled in the Criminal Justice program at Chowan College, pursuing a second B.A. degree.

&uot;All of our officers are required to partake of continuing education classes and training to keep abreast of laws, procedures and new technologies. The training never ends,&uot; said Murfreesboro Police Chief Darrell Rowe.

He added, &uot;We have a really unique program where officers who are employed in Hertford County are afforded the opportunity to attend the college free of charge in exchange for providing uniformed campus security. I don’t know of any other college that does that.&uot;

Rowe, who also obtained his degree from Chowan under the provisions of the program, spoke highly of Jacobs, commending his skills and &uot;common sense&uot; policing practices.

&uot;Dave has made several drug arrests since taking his oath to serve in the force in January and has maturity beyond his years,&uot; commented Rowe.

&uot;He is intelligent, very well trained and has a very good rapport with people. He understands the importance of pro-active policing as opposed to reactive.

&uot;If you’re always reacting, you never seem to get around the corner. Some people call it community policing, but I call it common sense policing. You just don’t wait for something to come to you, you actively pursue crime and work to keep it off the streets.&uot;

Jacobs said that he was thankful for the discipleship he has been receiving from the department and stated, &uot;Sergeant Mike Patterson has been helping me a lot in sharing his knowledge and experience with me.&uot;

According to Rowe, all of the new officers are assigned to a veteran officer as part of their ongoing training to assist with the transition into active duty.

When asked what his favorite part of being in law enforcement, Jacobs replied it was working with the public and helping people.

&uot;The coolest thing for me as an officer is working with families. A lot of kids have a poor image of police officers and if I can be the person to transform their perspective by being a positive role model to them and give them a positive impression of what we do and who we are, it would be great.&uot;

Rowe added, &uot;So far, everything that Dave has done, he has achieved and succeeded at and we are fortunate to have him.&uot;

Jacobs eventually hopes to pursue a Masters in Public Administration or Behavioral Therapy.