ANDRE A HAIRE
D e t e c t i v e E l i z a b e t h t o w n Po l i c e D e p a r t m e n t “I w a s b o r n a n d r a i s e d h e r e i n E l i z a b e t h t o w n . I a t t e n d e d We s t e r n Ke n t u c k y U n i v e r s i t y a n d e a r n e d a d e g r e e i n C r i m i n o l o g y. U p o n g r a d u a t i o n, I w a s h i r e d as the first Vic tim Advocate for the Hardin Count y A t t o r n e y ’s O f f i c e. I w o r ke d t w o y e a r s i n t h i s p o s i t i o n b e f o r e I d e c i d e d t o j o i n t h e E l i z a b e t h t o w n Po l i c e Depar tment. I come from a family of educators, c o a c h e s , a n d s o c i a l w o r ke r s , b u t I d e c i d e d t o b l a z e my own trail and deviate from what I knew as the nor m. I v i e w e d t h i s a s a c h a n c e t o g i v e b a c k t o m y c o m m u n i t y. T h e g o a l o f t h e E l i z a b e t h t o w n Po l i c e D e p a r t m e n t i s t o Ser ve and Protec t this communit y and it s citizens. The Po l i c e d e p a r t m e n t m u s t e n f o r c e t h e l a w s t h a t h a v e been established by the gover nment, the police do n o t m a ke l a w s . T h i s c o m m u n i t y i s g r o w i n g a n d g r o w t h i s g o o d , b u t w i t h g r o w t h, t h e c o v e r a g e o f p r o t e c t i o n m u s t a l s o g r o w. O n e o f t h e q u a l i t i e s I l o v e a b o u t my depar tment is the close relationship we have with o u r c o m m u n i t y. We h o s t a v a r i e t y o f e v e n t s t h a t g i v e people an oppor tunit y to put a face with the of ficers t h a t p o l i c e t h e i r c o m m u n i t y, a n d t o a l s o g i v e t h e m t h e chance to ask ques tions concer ning any situations or incident s they might not understand. I am currently a d e t e c t i v e a t m y d e p a r t m e n t , b u t w o u l d l i ke t o a d v a n c e rank within law enforcement before looking at other c a r e e r o p p o r t u n i t i e s; H o m e l a n d S e c u r i t y o r t h e F B I . I n t h e u p c o m i n g m o n t h s , I w o u l d l i ke t o i n i t i a t e s o m e outreach programs to deescalate the bad press that s o c i a l m e d i a h a s g i v e n u n j u s t l y t o t h e p o l i c e. O v e r a l l, it has been a great pleasure and honor for me to p r o v i d e s e r v i c e t o t h e c o m m u n i t y t h a t r a i s e d m e.”
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Fun Fac t: “The position that I hold requires me to b e m e n t a l l y a n d p h y s i c a l l y t o u g h, w i t h a n e x t e n s i v e amount of tr aining. All that being said, I have yet to o v e r c o m e m y f e a r o f c r i c ke t s .”