On this episode of Our American Stories, LAPD Senior Lead Officer Deon Joseph walked into a juvenile detention center expecting the kids there to distrust him. Instead of leading with his badge, he told them something they did not expect to hear from a police officer: “I love you.” He kept returning, shared his own story, brought in mentors, and slowly began earning their trust.

Joseph shares how that same approach shaped his work in downtown Los Angeles, where he built relationships with homeless residents and community groups that had long been suspicious of police. Be sure to check out Officer Joseph's book, Stepping Across the Line: A Skid Row Cop's Story, for more stories of his efforts in L.A.'s most notorious neighborhood.

Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)

On this episode of Our American Stories, LAPD Senior Lead Officer Deon Joseph walked into a juvenile detention center expecting the kids there to distrust him. Instead of leading with his badge, he told them something they did not expect to hear from a police officer: &ldquo;I love you.&rdquo; He kept returning, shared his own story, brought in mentors, and slowly began earning their trust. Joseph shares how that same approach shaped his work in downtown Los Angeles, where he built relationships with homeless residents and community groups that had long been suspicious of police. Be sure to check out Officer Joseph's book, <a href="https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FStepping-Across-Line-Skid-Story-ebook%2Fdp%2FB07RTQ41NH%2Fref%3Dsr_1_1%3Fdib%3DeyJ2IjoiMSJ9.j8BhcLuu0i7F3YzjhyiS4A.jRLicL2_ZzXQvWGbv-m1MJBPR-D1g9UnUlcqeFrWh20%26dib_tag%3Dse%26qid%3D1791822265%26refinements%3Dp_27%253ADeon%2BJoseph%26s%3Ddigital-text%26sr%3D1-1%26text%3DDeon%2BJoseph&amp;data=05%7C02%7CUraelBlackshear%40iheartmedia.com%7C3f2cc67b35a2433773fe08df287f259f%7C122a527e5b714eba878d9810b495b9e3%7C0%7C0%7C639274198722444541%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=hTv0isKbWbhv4uhIs6%2FKnA8Gjm8p2zkiypJxOfdbUjM%3D&amp;reserved=0" data-auth="NotApplicable" data-linkindex="2">Stepping Across the Line: A Skid Row Cop's Story</a>, for more stories of his efforts in L.A.'s most notorious neighborhood.
Support the show (<a href="https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)">https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)</a>

Our American Stories tells stories that aren’t being told. Positive stories about generosity and courage, resilience and redemption, faith and love. Stories about the past and present. And stories about ordinary Americans who do extraordinary things each and every day. Stories from our listeners about their lives. And their history. In that pursuit, we hope we’ll be a place where listeners can refresh their spirit, and be inspired by our stories.

Our American Stories

Our American Stories tells stories that aren’t being told. Positive stories about generosity and courage, resilience and redemption, faith and love. Stories about the past and present. And stories about ordinary Americans who do extraordinary things each and every day. Stories from our listeners about their lives. And their history. In that pursuit, we hope we’ll be a place where listeners can refresh their spirit and be inspired by our stories.

Our American Stories tells stories that aren&rsquo;t being told. Positive stories about generosity and courage, resilience and redemption, faith and love. Stories about the past and present. And stories about ordinary Americans who do extraordinary things each and every day. Stories from our listeners about their lives. And their history. In that pursuit, we hope we&rsquo;ll be a place where listeners can refresh their spirit and be inspired by our stories.

The Cop Who Refused to Give Up on Skid Row

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/c4526109-8b14-48d3-b426-b4e10148b788/transcript