DETROIT (4/20/2020) -- When you decide to work in law enforcement, you think you know what you're getting yourself into. After all, we all watch COPS, we all see police action in the news, we know the job is tough, the job is scary, but we all have a good idea on what the job entails.

That is until something comes up that you never thought about -- a global pandemic.

That is what a few former Detroit Mercy student-athletes are dealing with right now in their law enforcement careers, on top of what the regular job that comes with the position. They do that while living up to the oath embraced by the International Association of Chiefs of Police:

"On my honor, I will never betray my badge, my integrity, my character or the public trust. I will always have the courage to hold myself and others accountable for our actions. I will always uphold the Constitution, my community, and the agency I serve."

Abby Campbell (McCollum '14) -  Constable for the Guelph Police Service
Campbell was one of the most decorated student-athletes in Titan history having been the only Titan to ever play four sports at the school in soccer, lacrosse, softball and basketball. As a member of the Detroit Police Department, she once talked a potential suicide jumper off the ledge of a highway overpass and she is now helping people through this pandemic in Canada. 

"A law enforcement career is high risk, not only because of this pandemic at the moment but every day," said Campbell. "Officers are thrown into situations with individuals they don't know, unaware of the abilities people may have. With that being said, a career in law enforcement is nothing but an honor, we get to help people in their darkest moments, they trust us to come and help them when they need us most. I knew what I was getting into when I signed up for it and I've never second-guessed that decision. I am here to serve and do the best possible job I can, that's what all of us strive to do. During this pandemic especially, COVID-19 has impacted everyone in some way or another and all of us are here to be supportive while keeping our communities as safe as possible."

She was an All-Conference performer in soccer and helped that squad to four-straight winning campaigns, a share of the regular-season crown and four trips to the Horizon League Championship semifinals. 

"Soccer prepared me for every obstacle in life, it's a team sport and the people I work with are not only my team now, but it's a family, we all hold the line together," said Campbell. "Soccer gave me the ability to be confident in myself, my decision-making processes and my overall physical fitness, all of these things tie into my job now. We often make split-second decisions that are very important and soccer prepares you to always be on your toes for what's coming next."

Campbell would go on to play basketball, lacrosse and softball too when the teams needed players and she loved to compete and, above anything else, she loves to help and make a difference and that guided her to where she is today.

"My decision to pursue law enforcement did not come to me until my sophomore year of college," said Campbell. " I thought I wanted to be a social worker, but then I took some criminal justice classes and eventually obtained my undergraduate degree in criminal justice, however, the real root of becoming a police officer came from my father. He was a southern baptist preacher who was a servant himself, he would give the shirt off his back for others and I saw his empathy and compassion and knew that I not only wanted to, but needed to give back to others in some way or another. We all have a duty to take care of each other and this is just my way of showing my gratitude in getting to help people every single day." 

Her journey in law enforcement has already been adventurous and fulfilling, but this is just the start and she plans to keep on serving her community proudly. 

"I am three years into my law enforcement career and I have had the opportunity to work as a patrol officer, a crime analyst and a crisis negotiator with the City of Detroit. In 2019, I moved to Canada and I am currently assigned to patrol and am very content with staying on patrol for a long time. I have had experience in other units, however, I feel like I do my best work being in the streets. I'm sure I will move on to other things throughout my career but I love being on the road and answering the unknown calls because it makes every day different, not one day is the same, that's what I love most."

Sarah Corlett (Martinez '13) - Michigan State Police, Lapeer and St. Clair County
Corlett earned numerous varsity letters at Detroit Mercy in cross country and track and field. As a Titan, she had to take on challenges in all types of events, weather and situations and just like during this pandemic, she was ready to rise and confront the challenge. 

"I never expected or did I think we ever expect something like this," said Corlett. "We have our protection and we take caution as much as possible. Sometimes, it's just not possible to do that, because we are there to do a job and help people. Every day, I start my shift and you never really know what is going to happen. There could be a car accident, you can be sent to a domestic violence call, it's just so unpredictable and I knew that going into it. There are so many rewards, but risks too and we all know that."

Corlett was another student-athlete who knew that a career helping to protect people is where she was destined to go. She thought about a career in the military but law enforcement is where her heart took her. 

"I chose the state police because of all the divisions in the department, especially intelligence, which is what my degree is in with criminal justice and intelligence analysis. I have family members in law enforcement too and that helped me decide," added Corlett. 

Corlett has been a part of the force for three years now and hopes to advance in the department in the future, but right now she is enjoying the time in the career that she signed up for. 

"I love my position now, but I definitely would welcome the opportunity to get promoted into some of the specialty teams that we have in the intelligence or detective bureau," said Corlett. "I love helping people. I enjoy being out in public and helping the best I can. I like to be a presence in the public and teach people about the law. I might go to the schools and eat lunch with the kids or I might show up at a car crash or even, unfortunately, a death notification, I like to be there comforting people and helping in any way I can. That is the most rewarding for me."

Corlett ran 4K, 5K and 6K's in college in cross country and the 600, 800, 1000, 1500 and 3000-meters and mile in track as well as relays. Every event has its different challenges, its obstacles, sometimes dealing with weather and different competition, knowing when to pace yourself and when to go. 

"Being a student-athlete definitely helped prepare me for this and adapt to different situations," said Corlett. "I think the most important thing is the mental approach. You have to have that mentality to be strong showing up to a situation that might be pretty gruesome, just like being an athlete, you have to have that mentality in training and racing. You sometimes just have to go with your gut and make quick decisions like in track and cross country. Clearly preparing for the academy, my background as a track athlete helped me get through that and excel."

Demeisha Fambro '13 - Detroit Police Department, Recruiting & Background Investigator
Fambro was a four-year letterwinner for the Titans on the hardwood and a member of the WBI championship team as a senior in 2013, one of only two Detroit Mercy teams to ever capture a national postseason title with the men's fencing NCAA crown in 1972. She is about to complete her fourth year with the badge and her position has changed during this pandemic to have direct communication with officers who have been affected by COVID-19 and just want to get back out to the community and do their job. 

"Right now, I am helping out our medical section," said Fambro. "Officers that are in quarantine or have been exposed to COVID-19, I am in touch with them and seeing what their symptoms are and seeing where they are in the process of coming back to work. As a police officer, you want to be out there and working. We work doubles, we sacrifice, so for a lot of these officers, I hear it every day that they just want to be back to work. We know the risks and you don't know if today will be your last day, but this is our job and we don't want to be at home, we want to be out there helping with this situation."

Fambro recently moved to the role of recruiting and a background investigator in the Detroit Police Department, helping to find more brave individuals to wear the badge. 

"Any recruit that is looking to become a police officer, I process and do their background so they can be credentialed," said Fambro. "I think a lot of the job is to be humble. I see a lot of recruits that come here, you get the sense that they are looking for power because you have a badge, but it's about being humble and helping people. Detroit is one of the best police agencies in the world and it's about learning and helping our community. Be humble, talk to people and be a part of the city."

Fambro's route to the police started at a young age and after graduating and playing professional basketball, she ended up right where she thought she would always be. 

"I was playing overseas in Portugal and I got injured and when I came back, nothing really fit me. I wanted to go back and play, but it just didn't work out and getting a job sitting at a desk all day was not for me," said Fambro. "I thought about it and said, it's about time that I join the police force. I always wanted to be a police officer. I remember when I was a kid, my friends and I would play cops and robbers and a lot of my friends wanted to be the robber and I was the cop. I wanted to be the one with the fake handcuffs and chasing people down so I was always interested in the law even when I was little."

Fambro credits being a student-athlete that has helped her reach the police force, a profession that she truly loves.

"The discipline aspect helped me, just the athleticism of playing and keeping in shape to pass every test and to maintain that level. It wasn't easy in college and that discipline that I learned helps me every day. No day is the same, there is great human interaction and I get to help people. You wear a lot of different hats as a police officer and when I am out there, I am like a big sister and to help people at their lowest point is amazing," added Fambro.

Joe Gifford '15 -- Detroit Police Department
Gifford suited up for four seasons for the Titans and was part of some glorious moments, including winning the MAAC Championship in 2013 and helping the team defeat Ohio State in 2015. He is now serving Detroit as a police officer and every day brings a new challenge. 

"This is what we signed up for," said Gifford. " It has a different face then what we were thinking about in terms of what we can potentially face every day, but it's about being ready and helping when you can. You think about the worst things that can happen like a 9/11 situation or the civil unrest that Detroit went through in the 1960s, and you're just trying to get things under control but this is so different. Even the older officers and department are developing their own response because there is no way for us to stop the spread or get the situation under control like other events that we train for in a normal police routine."

Gifford has been through the training and while the pandemic is new and scary to everyone, he knows that his job is even more important during this time of uneasiness.  

"You take your precautions, but you don't think twice if someone needs help," said Gifford. "If someone is trapped inside a house or anything like that, you're still going in there, you're still doing your job. Keep that in mind every day when you're approaching these situations, remember your training and constantly working together and learning from others. I am always asking older officers how would they handle or respond to a situation. You need to know everything you can because just like lacrosse, things are going to happen so fast and you have to be able to respond quickly, you're not going to have time to think, you have to react, especially if a situation is getting out of control."

When Gifford wanted to make a change in his career path, his alma mater was there to help him. By talking to friends who went to the academy and speaking with a former professor, he cemented his decision to join the police force. 

"My wife's former soccer teammate and former Detroit Police Officer Abby McCollum sent me this long email and said yes, go do it. The Detroit Police Department is like a huge family and I loved every minute of it. A professor at Detroit Mercy is Ike McKinnon, a former police chief, and I happened to take a class with him in graduate school and he talked about his career and I met with too and he told me to go do it, it's the most rewarding career and the best thing he ever did."

For Gifford, even going through this scary time in a pandemic, he knows that the police force is where he wants to be and his love of sports and lacrosse might help him give back to the community in another way.

"It's a great career and you can do so much. It's a huge organization and there are a lot of ways I can go, but I want to be a part of the police and in a leadership position. I want to one day lead young officers the way I look up to older officers now," said Gifford. "Detroit Police also does a lot with Detroit PAL and maybe one day I can be involved with that."

Tyler Harper '16 - NYC Department of Corrections, Rikers Island
Harper was also a four-year member of the men's lacrosse team and on the 2013 MAAC Championship and NCAA Tournament squad and he is facing a growing challenge, worrying about a pandemic inside a correctional facility.

"We are all facing this same pandemic across the country and you need to be able to remain calm and do what you do every single day like it's not affecting you at all," said Harper. "Yes, it might be terrifying because you know you're not going home after eight hours on a normal day, you're there for maybe 16 hours and you don't know if you're exposed to it and that's even taking the right precautions. But this is what I wanted to do, I knew there would be times when everything was not all normal and quiet. This is the job we signed up for -- law enforcement, healthcare -- we all signed up to do this job that we love."

The pandemic is spreading across the country, but through measures such as social distancing, it's helped slow the virus down. Most of the country has shut down in hopes of containing the spread, but in a corrections facility, there is only so much that can be done to contain that and still deal with the day-to-day activities. 

"Just like we are scared, I think they are scared too," said Harper. "In a weird way, it has been a bit calmer then what we normally go through. We are trying to stay safe and we are trying to keep them safe and not exposed to this. The less chance they are exposed, the less chance we are (exposed) so it's scary for all of us, but we need to keep doing our job. There is a healthy mix of people in there from those who made a mistake, understood they made a mistake and just want to do their time and then go home to guys who have been in trouble a lot, gang members and this is their life and they have to live with it."

For Harper, he knew that he wanted to be involved in law enforcement as a career and earned a criminal justice degree at the University. 

"I have always wanted to be in law enforcement since I was a little kid," said Harper. "I have a lot of family that is involved in law enforcement as corrections or in a police department and that is what I wanted to do. I took the NYC Department of Corrections test, passed the test and I got the call about three months later. Last February, I went to the academy and I graduated in July and started working at Rikers Island last August."

Harper knows that his time as a student-athlete prepared him for this position and the mindset that it takes to clock in and out every day. 

"It is a very physical job and also mentally exhausting. I feel that being part of Detroit Mercy athletics helped me get that right mindset, that mental approach to help me handle my job, get me through a 12 or 16 hour day," said Harper. "Usually nothing goes as planned just like sports, but being a student-athlete, it teaches you to keep the right attitude and the right mentality, remain calm and adjust to any situation because that's what you need to do to win. You practice a lot to get ready for any situation." 

Brandee Hart '14 - Michigan State Police, Flint
Hart starred at Detroit Mercy in track and field for four years and helped the Titans earn runner-up in both the indoor and outdoor Horizon League Championships as a senior in 2014. She has served as a state police officer for three years now in the city of Flint, helping the community through its water crisis and now through this pandemic.

"I don't think we saw this coming to get to this point, but when you are sworn in, you signed up to serve and protect," said Hart. "You don't have an option. You go to work every day and give it your all and try to help people. You go into the situation fearlessly, but you go into that situation looking to make a difference and help someone. No matter if a pandemic is going on, we are there to help. Sometimes it goes into your head, just this pandemic, but we have gloves, we wear a mask and we are there to help people. When I am going to a call and someone needs help, I am going and not thinking about the pandemic."

A sprinter and hurdler, she left her mark with several top 10 marks in school history, including the 100-meter hurdles school record. That competitiveness and the ability to work as an individual and a member of a team still helps her to this day. 

"I work in Flint and there is a lot of action, different kinds of action every day," said Hart. "This job allows me to stay competitive. If I have to get into a foot chase, I have that competitive nature and just being an athlete helped me get through the academy. You have to stay in shape and have to work as a team, even though I might be an individual trooper, we are a team."

It was her calling to be a leader and to make a difference that led her to the police force. She wanted to help the community and to be a part in making a difference in people's lives. 

"I always wanted to make a difference in anything that I do and what better way than to be a cop. I want to lead by example and a police officer should lead. Working in Flint and being a part of the community is important to me," said Hart. "All you can do is be there and try to help them. Flint went through the water crisis and people get frustrated when they don't have things, so you just have to help people and try to be there and understanding."

Like all the student-athletes, Hart remembers and values the experiences she had at Detroit Mercy and wouldn't change it for anything. 

"If I can do my four years again, I would do anything for that chance. I remember being so happy and so competitive. Our 4x400-relay came in first at the Horizon League Championship as a senior and we were runner up both in indoor and outdoor and that comrade, that togetherness we had, I miss it so much," Hart added.