“I’ve been with the police department for 24 years,” says Officer Kerri Long. “It’s a calling from God. Ever since I was a little girl, I knew I wanted to be a police officer.” Although no one in her family was in law enforcement, she met her husband in the department; he recently retired after 32 years of service. “I tell people that I’m like a personal police officer for Beat 7 residents, which includes the Oak Creek subdivision.”

Because Officer Long loves animals, she started taking all the animal cruelty cases that come into the department alongside her Community Response duties; she aims to be a voice for the animals who cannot advocate for themselves.

Officer Long makes it clear that although she is of service in her professional life, she and her fellow officers are “normal people just like everyone else. We are husbands, wives, dads and moms. We want to do the best we can for the citizens and come home safe to our families.” Officers like Kerri continue to serve their community, no matter what is going on in their lives or homes. When the skies get dark and the weather gets bad, officers are working. At Christmas time when families are together, officers are working. When people are sleeping, officers are working. Officers miss their families' birthdays, holidays and other special events so Tyler is safe.

“We leave our families so your families are protected. We leave our families and pray we make it home to see them again,” Officer Long says. “Some officers aren’t lucky. But I put on the full armor of God each day and go to work.”

As a reminder for Oak Creek residents, Officer Long says the best ways residents can keep the neighborhood safe is to use alarm systems, have lights everywhere, park vehicles in the garage, lock residential doors, lock car doors and keep garage doors down. She also encourages neighbors to look out for each other. “I love nosy neighbors because they know everything and see everything,” she says. Additionally, she suggests neighbors host crime watch meetings where the neighborhood and police come together, as well as block parties so everyone gets to know one another.

Being close to Oak Creek has proven to be vital time and time again. Officer Long recalls a specific instance when her proximity was life-saving. When the new subdivision by Jack Elementary School was being built, two boys were playing on a large pile of dirt. The dirt collapsed into what was essentially a mud pit, and while both boys fell in, only one got himself out. The other was drowning in the mud. Parents called 911, and Officer Long was only a minute away.

When Officer Long arrived, the boy had been pulled out of the mud but was gray and unresponsive. She immediately started CPR and he came back. This moment was deeply impactful for Kerri, since her own son was the exact same age as the boys who fell in. “The boy I saved just graduated from high school. I saw him about two years ago, gave him a big hug and cried,” Kerri says. “I told him God has big plans for him because he is alive today when he shouldn’t be. That is why I say this job was a calling from God. Officers save people and we move on; we have to go to the next call because someone else needs us. But to us, we are just doing our job.”

Outside of work, Officer Long loves to scrapbook, read and watch movies. She also works two additional jobs helping to run the Texas Fallen Officer Foundation, which assists officers and their families who are hurt or killed in the line of duty in Texas, as well as the National Fallen Officer Foundation, which supports officers and their families across the entire United States.

As America celebrates its 250th anniversary, Officer Long reflects on her patriotism; as an officer and a Texan, she is proud to be an American. “I get to live in a land where I can speak freely, where I can be an officer, and where I can buy and do what I want,” she says. “I’m so thankful that our veterans and the men and women in the military fight to keep us safe.” She emphasizes the importance of a small, tight-knit community where people look out for each other and help one another. Through her 24 years of uniform service, local fundraising and daily dedication to Beat 7, Officer Long embodies that very spirit of community strength every single day.