THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, January 26, 1995 TAG: 9501240076
SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS PAGE: 12 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JENNIFER RIDDLE, HIGH SCHOOL CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: Long : 101 lines
PARENTS BY DAY and heroes by night - this is the story of a canine cop and a patrol officer who are married to each other and have children.
Making the transition from a jean-clad parent to a Norfolk police officer with a bulletproof vest and a gun on the hip isn't easy. Leaving Brittian and Ashley, both 7, to police the streets of Norfolk isn't easy, either.
``There is a responsibility and a danger that comes with the uniform, and when you are at work you always have a thousand thoughts running through your mind,'' said Deanna Powell, a Norfolk patrol officer. ``It makes it hard to give the girls a lot of the time and attention they deserve.''
Tim Powell, a canine cop, agreed:
``Being a police officer is not like having a 9-to-5 job - you can't just leave everything behind on your desk when you leave the office. You are taking home with you everything you went through and all your fears from that time. After a while it does take its toll on the family quality time.''
Even though this husband-and-wife team share the same career, they chose to be cops for different reasons. Brittian was at the tender age of 2 when Deanna divorced her first husband. Needing a steady income, Deanna chose to be a police officer. She applied to the Norfolk Police Academy and was accepted.
Tim, however, chose the profession because of the excitement of being on the street.
``A police officer never has a dull moment,'' Tim said. ``As a K-9 officer and member of the SWAT Team, I often experience an emotional edge while searching a building with my (canine) partner, Sky, or while lying behind a sniper rifle on a team operation.
``Most of the situations that we face test our ability to act under pressure and our sense of what is right and wrong. The excitement and the adrenaline rush is always there and is why I would never trade being a cop for anything.''
Along with the dangers, the schedule also challenges the parents.
As a patrol officer, Deanna is constantly switching shifts, sometimes working from 6 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., from 2 p.m. to 10:30 p.m or from 10 p.m. to 6:30 a.m. That doesn't always include the court days that patrol officers are responsible for several times a month.
``With the hours my job takes, I sometimes wonder about maybe changing careers,'' she said. ``The thought of becoming a paralegal has crossed my mind a few times, but right now I am pretty happy with where I am. And as long as I am comfortable with what I do, and it still enables me to be a mother to my children, I see no need to change it.''
Deanna does admit, however, that there have been times when the danger of police work has caused her and her husband to sit back and be thankful for what they have, like the night she received a call over the radio that a man at a marina was shooting a gun from his boat. The situation was serious, and the SWAT team, Tim included, was called in.
``My responsibility was to keep phone communication with the people on the surrounding boats so that they would remain at a safe distance,'' Deanna said. ``It was very difficult for me to sit on the phone reassuring these people that everything was going to be all right while I watched my husband and the other members of the SWAT Team crawl down the dock toward the man knowing that he could fire at any moment and one of his bullets could strike Tim.''
The man was arrested, but the fear from that night lingers.
Perhaps the most difficult part of the Powells' jobs is not when they are out on the street but when they are at home trying to help their children to make sense of the mad chases, shootings and intense situations. Sometimes when Deanna and Tim are late coming home and Brittian and Ashley have waited up with the baby sitter, Mom and Dad have to quickly go from cop to parent and explain why their jobs are dangerous but why the jobs must be done.
``I don't sweeten it up and make it seem like it is something it isn't - there is enough of that on television,'' Deanna said. ``To them it is the good guys chasing the bad guys and no more or less than that. I let them know that even though I am in a dangerous position that someone needs to be out there doing it.''
Tim and Deanna believe that their jobs, even though dangerous at times, don't cause them to be lesser quality parents. In fact, Tim feels that his work may help his home life in the long run.
``When I am out there on the street I see children who are neglected by their parents and I see what broken families can do to a home,'' Tim said. ``Seeing the way some people's lives have fallen into those ruts, I am that much more grateful for what I have and can hopefully use my knowledge to lead my children in the right direction.''
When the girls come home from school or are out playing in the yard on the weekends they are no different than any other 7-year-olds in their neighborhood. They laugh like other children. Their dad taught them how to ride their bikes, and their mom showed them how to jump rope.
``When Mom and Dad go to work, I know that they are chasing bad guys and that they might have to use their guns, but I am proud of them,'' Brittian said, ``And I like Sky, too.'' ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by PAUL A. AIKEN
Tim and Deanna Powell are both Norfolk police officers, and they
have a pair of 7-year-old daughters: Ashley, left, and Brittian. The
dog is Sky, Tim's canine partner.
Graphic
Photo
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jennifer Riddle is a junior at Lake Taylor High School.
by CNB