I met Dawn, a police officer, at the 46th St subway station along the 7 line…
Ask a New Yorker: What’s your name? And how long have you been a police officer?
Dawn: Dawn, about a 1 ½ years.
Ask a New Yorker: What’s it like being one of New York’s finest?
Dawn: It’s fun and exciting, and I’m always learning different things and always going to different places and seeing all kinds of different types of people from everywhere.
Ask a New Yorker: What did your mom think of you going into this kind of work?
Dawn: She cried. She was so happy at my graduation.
Ask a New Yorker: Cool hair. What’s it called?
Dawn: Box braids and loose at the ends.
Ask a New Yorker: How long does it take to have it done?
Dawn: 7 hrs. I get it done on Jamaica Ave. in Queens. There are places all over.
Ask a New Yorker: What was the core training like to become a police officer?
Dawn: Well, now you have to run 1 ½ miles, climb walls and do a lot of push ups and sit ups every day. Two hours in the gym everyday, lots physical and psychological tests. Of course you have to pass a drug test, too.
Ask a New Yorker: Have you had any tough assignments or chases or anything?
Dawn: Hold on. (At this moment Dawn jumped down the stairs and nabbed a student who jumped the turn style)
Ask a New Yorker: What just happened?
Dawn: Someone just jumped the turn style. A high school student. I’ve learned to catch everything around me at just one glance.
Ask a New Yorker: Good going. What’s the fine for jumping a turn style?
Dawn: $60
Ask a New Yorker: That’s an expensive ride. So tell us more about choosing this as a career?
Dawn: I wanted a serious career. I love the variation of the work and meeting different people every day. You move around you never know what’s going to happen. My schedule is interesting. I work from 11:30 to 8:00 and there’s always over time when something happens. In 20 years I’ll be retired at 42.
Ask a New Yorker: What was it like to shoot a gun for the first time at the academy?
Dawn: It scared me. I had never been around guns growing up. And all of a sudden you have guns flying all over. I got used to it.
Ask a New Yorker: The city feels pretty safe….
Dawn: It should be. There are a lot of us around.
Ask a New Yorker: What do you do to unwind?
Dawn: I do a lot of reading, romance novels, watching TV like everyone else, listening to music going out places.
Ask a NewYorker: Married?
Dawn: No, I’m dating.
Ask a New Yorker: Love your eye color. Are those yours?
Dawn. They’re really mine! (laughs)
Ask a New Yorker: Contacts?
Dawn: Yes, grey.
Ask a New Yorker: Dawn….you’re the best. Thank you for enlightening us on what you do.
