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25

By Taylor Lisco

Richmond Police Department

25

        The average human brain develops in spurts, growing exponentially in some phases of our lives, slower in others. Most scientists agree, however, that the brain is largely finished developing at the age of 25. By then, most of the important neurons have developed, made connections and the vast majority of your maturing has occurred. Because of this, big life events that occur before the paramount year of 25 have more of a lasting and significant effect on the brain.

        It would be like sticking your finger into a cookie fresh out of the oven before it has had time to set. It’s still a cookie, but the indent of your finger would harden as a part of the structure of that treat. A brain is much like a baked good and that baked good takes 25 years to be golden brown.

        I was hired as a police officer on my 23rd birthday.

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Who I Am

        I fit the profile of many people: Walter Scott, Amadou Diallo, Philando Castile, and George Floyd. I also fit the profile of Michael Slager, Sean Carroll, Richard Murphy, Edward McMellon, Kenneth Boss, Jeronimo Yanez, and Derek Chauvin. I am a black man. I am also a police officer. Both of these make up who I am. Alone, neither of these fully define me.

        At birth, I was defined as being a son and brother. My identity grew as I got older. I became a friend, musician, uncle, college graduate, husband, professor, ex-husband, and boyfriend. None of that matters when I often get reduced to being just two things: a black man and a cop.

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Who I Am

By Anthony Jackson

Richmond Police Department

8 Buttons

By Betty Migliaccio

Richmond Fire Department

8 Buttons

We lost you. It was Thanksgiving at the station, a day that I love. The two company house is filled with so much food that you lounge around in pain, bellyaching about not eating another thing as you grab a paper plate for just one more bite. It takes all day to prepare dinner for more than 30 family members coming to eat with us, all while running calls to those who need us in the community. Children’s laughter echo through the station as they run around. There are at least 14. The laughter permeates every corner of the building as the adults have scattered conversations catching up, running a call and coming back to catch up some more. The children know what to do when it’s time for us to go.  Everyone steps back from the trucks and as the tones go off, watch us get dressed, lights on, hurry up, we have a job to do. We come back to the questions of the older ones, “What did you go on, what did you do,” while the little ones want to hear the siren again.

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More Stories

Level III

It was a dark and stormy night. The sun was up, and the skies were blue. Fresh snow whipped across the fields and flashes of color reflected off the ice-covered windows. The ground sparkled between gusts that shook the house. I glanced at the remote thermometer. Brrr! I looked for my nice hunting gloves in the closet. I was going to be late, so I grabbed leather dress gloves from another coat.
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Cat Calls

My husband, a career fire fighter for over 30 years, is a no nonsense and extremely funny man.  He is cynical and can be cranky. If he thinks you are being willfully stupid, lazy, or God forbid mean to animals you are likely to be on the receiving end of biting, embarrassing commentary that other people will find very funny. Probably at your expense. People have said he can look scary, but I never see that.
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Mother at Work

It’s easy overtime money in the fire department to work for an officer who will be out training for the day. You work a little, run a few calls, get to leave around 5pm.  Home for dinner!  Sure, I’ll work for Captain Thomas, his crew is cool, low key, no problems.
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