The face one sees across from Skybar on their way home, attempting to mitigate the chaos. The man who pulled someone over when their headlight just went out, making sure they know about it. The woman riding through campus in the afternoon, ensuring the safety of the students.
All these people have names, families and histories. The unknown cop on the corner is someone.
Isaac Branford is an unlikely Auburn resident, having moved here recently from a small town in New York. His girlfriend is a new Auburn Ph.D. candidate aiming for a doctorate in physiology. When he heard that she was coming to Auburn, he knew he had to join her.
“I didn’t think it was a great idea for our development to do long distance for a couple more years,” Branford said. "So I got in touch with Auburn and got down here fast.”
Branford himself has a bachelor's degree in criminal justice and a master's in counter terrorism from Nichols College in Massachusetts. For him, falling into a career in law enforcement was an easy choice. However, the decision to go to the local level was not as easy.
“They tell you in my career field that local is a choice, but it's not pushed," Branford said. "[It is] a big disservice to local communities. If you want to start a family and have a life with them, then local is the way to go.”
It was also the focus on community that made Branford believe that Auburn was a good fit for what he wanted out of life. He also spoke about how Auburn was a pleasant surprise for him and a welcome change.
“When I tell people back home how I like it, I tell them they should come try it for themselves,” Branford said. “It was surprising how nice the city is and how similar to where we came from it is. It's so much more surprising than how people think of the South.”
Brandon White is a military policeman who became an officer after a nasty injury ended his professional baseball career. Having been born and raised in Opelika, White returned to Auburn in order to finish his bachelor’s degree in psychology.
White accredits his family for his reason behind coming back to Auburn.
“My younger sister just graduated from college here in December,” White said. “Both my parents live here. My dad owns his own business here. Auburn is just home.”
White has now started his own family here and has a five-year-old daughter named Nova Jane. This sense of family also bolstered White’s love for his career.
“The difference you can make in people’s lives is so important, especially being someone young kids can look up to and trust," White said.
White also spoke of the gratitude he feels for Auburn, reminiscing on the opportunities that the city and the people have given him.
“Auburn is home, it's where opportunity has always been for me and my family, it all started here, and it is everything that home is,” White said.
White and Branford had emotional thoughts about the impact of the Auburn community on their lives.
“Shoot for the moon, and if you don’t reach it, grab a star,” White said. “Don’t be afraid to take the opportunities presented to you. Auburn has so many of them.”
Branford shared similiar sentiments.
“Be there for each other. It's so easy to have an even greater sense of community if people are there for one another in person. Get more connected in person,” Branford said.
Sometimes it is hard to imagine the deep-rooted connections that Auburn police officers have to the betterment of the community and the citizens within. But whether one has called Auburn home for years or merely a few months, that connection is strong and thriving.
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Carrington Romanick is a junior from Helena, Alabama majoring in law and justice. She joined The Plainsman in August 2023.
