On Being a Police Officer Ep. 56 Dexter Pitts on nearly losing his life, nearly taking his life, and ultimately finding purpose as a law enforcement officer. Part 1 of 2.
Ep. 56 Dexter Pitts is well known to many of you as the author of “I Am Pitts: Memoirs of an American Patriot” and his “I Am Pitts” podcast. Whether you know Dexter or not, you will definitely enjoy this interview. This is Part One of Two.
Dexter is a decorated, medically retired U.S. Army veteran who proudly served with the 10th Mountain Division in Iraq in 2004 as a machine gunner. We talk about the incident that nearly took his life and for which he received the Purple Heart.
We cover his early days in law enforcement and his personal struggles including a broken marriage, the devastating loss of his mother to suicide, his attempt to take his own life, and how he was able, through the help of family and his command staff, to turn his life around.
What's very clear in talking with Dexter is his passion for law enforcement, a profession he has served for 15 years and counting. He started with the Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD) and is now with a smaller department in the greater Louisville area. While with LMPD, he served on the Special Response Team (SRT) and completed a two-year special assignment with the US Marshals Fugitive Task Force.
Eight years into his time with LMPD, Dexter left to become a US Border Patrol agent in Naco, Arizona. The departure turned out to be temporary. When the riots and protests broke out in 2020, Dexter knew he had to return to LMPD to be with his brothers and sisters on the skirmish line. We talk about the chaos that dragged out well over a year and the lasting impact of that fragmented time on law enforcement.
Dexter is working on a second book. The working title is “Still Noble. Still needed. A Profession in Crisis.” His goal is to support the profession and encourage people to choose it.
In Episode Two we talk about the riots, race, the national negative narrative on policing and importantly, hope for the future.
Dexter’s I Am Pitts website
There you can find his book “I Am Pitts: Memoirs of an American Patriot” or on Amazon. His “I Am Pitts” podcast is also available on his website and on all podcast platforms.
Find Dexter on:
Instagram: @iampitts1
TikTok @iampittsbook
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