Three decades in law enforcement wasn’t what Auburn Police Division’s Capt. Lorenza Dorsey envisioned when he went to college with his mind set on becoming a coach. But a heart for coaching can still be found in the reasons he has stayed in the field for so long.
“I kind of thought I made a difference,” Dorsey said. “In this position, it’s kind of like coaching: You meet people, sometimes you have the occasion to mentor people and down the road, you get to see those people go on and be successful.”
Dorsey, an Opelika native, has served in the City of Auburn’s law enforcement for 30 years, witnessing changes in the police division and the community and shifts in what it means to be part of the force today.
He first joined the division as a correctional officer at the city’s jail in 1986 then climbed up the ranks, working in narcotics, patrol and the detectives section. He’s been involved in investigations since 1991 and has served as a captain for nearly four years now.
“I actually remember it like it was yesterday,” Dorsey said. “I’ve gone through every position basically within the police department, of course, up until assistant chief and chief. [Those are] probably the only positions I haven’t held in the police department.”
Before coming to the police division, he graduated from Opelika High School in 1980 and attended Jacksonville State University before taking a permanent position as the youngest shift supervisor in the finishing department of Diversified Products, an Opelika fitness manufacturing company.
It was after he became a correctional officer and moved to Auburn in the mid-1980s that he married his wife of 20 years, who he met in high school and reconnected with while she worked in the records department.
It was her support and the examples of several others in the police division that have inspired him over the years.
Two in particular, Capt. John Lockhart and the late Lt. John Dunn, set an example as minorities who achieved leadership positions in the division, Dorsey said.
“In the time that they came through, you didn’t have a lot of minorities in high-ranking positions in any police department,” he said.
When he joined the police division, he was one of five minorities, he said, though the force was smaller.
“Even now, when you consider Auburn and our command staff, you have myself and Assistant Chief [Cedric] Anderson, we’re almost 50 percent minority in the command staff,” he said. “And that’s something I’ve always been proud of.”
Dorsey said he related to the similar backgrounds APD Chief Paul Register and former Chief Tommy Dawson had and was encouraged by how they worked their way to police chief.
“You have those that sometimes have the benefit of having everything fall into place — you have the finances, you have the accessibility, the resources. …Whereas people like Chief Register and Chief Dawson, those guys are like me. ... The background they come from is sort of that blue collar type background like I’m familiar with, where you work for everything,” Dorsey said. “And if you work hard, you are rewarded for your hard work.”
Register, who worked with Dorsey in the patrol division in 1988, said Dorsey has always been organized and efficient from the time he first knew him.
“He has always been a guy who wants to get it right,” Register said. “A lot of times early on he would get a lot of the most difficult cases because he’s just very thorough, and he would always be very thorough with his cases.”
But if he could pick one word to describe the captain, it would be dependable. Sometimes he would be the last person to leave the office — weekend or weekday — just to be sure everything was in order, Register said.
“There’s nothing he can ask (the people he manages) to do that he hasn’t already done himself and done it well,” he added.
The day to day
As a captain, Dorsey is in charge of the Investigations Section — which handles felony investigations and reports — records requests and filings and public information.
Though working in a college town creates an inviting and engaging community atmosphere, Dorsey said it presents its own set of challenges.
“The downside is the fact that sometimes you have the students who will tend to overindulge, and you have the kids who don’t understand there is a line,” he said.
Sometimes students fail to focus on their safety and well-being, Dorsey said, at times neglecting to protect their property and belongings, which presents opportunities for people to victimize students — something common in college towns.
But part of his job in public information is to send out information about the division's arrests, which, in part, serve as a deterrent for people who victimize college-town residents and visitors.
Changes in the law enforcement
Dorsey has worked under five different police chiefs in the past 30 years, he said, but that isn’t the only change he’s seen in that time span.
People have also changed their perceptions of officers.
“I understand some of the issues that are brought up concerning law enforcement, but I guess my biggest issue I have with some of that is that I think law enforcement is the only position that you can look at … that you have a small percentage of officers that make a mistake and do something they shouldn’t do, that’s wrong to do,” Dorsey said. “And as a result, that small percentage, you tend to label or generalize all police.”
Dorsey called the generalization unfortunate, adding that most police do work to serve and protect their communities. But “staying positive” on the job has become more of a challenge with the social climate and “stigma” arising around officers, Dorsey said.
“This is not a job that you’re going to get rich at,” Dorsey said. “It’s not a job where you’re going to get a lot of support sometimes. You’re not going to get a lot of pats on the back. But it’s a job that is absolutely necessary.”
Technology advancement has also altered the officer job description, demanding that new recruits be tech savvy.
“Back in the day, we didn’t have cybercrime,” Dorsey said. “We didn’t have a lot of the stuff that goes on now with identity theft.”
Dash and body cameras have also appeared on the scene, something Dorsey said is important in providing the truth and accuracy of a situation.
“You need those things, not just for the citizens’ point of view but for the police point of view,” he said.
But his mantra on the job all these years, he said, has been to “treat people like you want to be treated,” no matter the mistake or situation.
Outside the office
Though Dorsey entered law enforcement rather than majoring in physical education as he had planned, he didn’t entirely give up on becoming a coach.
He coaches youth basketball, football and baseball in Parks and Recreation as well as some of the police department teams whenever they play sports against the fire division or other departments.
Outside of the office, Dorsey said his world revolves around his three children and grandchildren, though their faces stay printed next to him even in the office on a bulletin board above his computers.
Across the room on a bookshelf sit four baseball caps — Auburn High, Auburn University, University of Georgia and Tuskegee University — a collection of where his children attended. He said he’ll add to the collection when his grandchildren graduate as well.
Still, even when he isn’t in uniform, he still considers himself an ambassador for the division, speaking at churches and civic groups occasionally.
Over the years, serving the community and seeing justice prevail have been some of the most rewarding parts of being in the police division. And seeing people support him despite some opposition around the nation helps make the job worthwhile.
“If I had to go back and change anything,” he said of his career path, “I wouldn’t change a thing.”
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
