In 2025, the Law Enforcement Oral History Project (LEOHP) was formed to preserve the heritage, traditions, and lived experiences of those who serve our communities. The concept came at a funeral for one of our retired officers. As we sat together and remembered the experiences we faced, the realization hit—he was no longer here to share his stories; what was not saved is now gone forever. In this era of digital recordings and videos, the stories of our heroes do not need to disappear, so we decided to be the change. Our mission is to get these stories while we can so that others can learn from our histories. The way things were done “in the old days” is completely foreign to many of our new officers and members of the communities we serve. Law enforcement officers today no longer use a “six-shooter” revolver as a primary weapon, they have body armor, and can radio for backup without having to get back into the car, or find the nearest payphone to dial the operator (since 911 didn’t exist yet). Despite everything, work still had to get done, bad guys went to jail and crimes were solved using “good old-fashioned police work.”

LEOHP is getting the stories from the men and women who did the job in a very different time, and preserving the heritage and traditions of a special breed.

Thank you for joining us on this adventure.