As protesters formed around our nation calling for police reform, they were often reminded of an important fact: While some may abuse their power, the vast majority are “good cops”. Well, if most are good cops, consider Officer Montez Lee a great one. Instead of Superman or Batman, Officer Lee “saw police officers as superheroes” when he was growing up.
Raised in Gulf Manor, a village in Hamilton County, an officer named Eddie Taylor made his mark on Lee. “It was just the small things he did… He took the time to toss football with us, learned our names, checked up on our grades, and basically that was my foundation to wanting to become a police officer.”
Paying it forward, “Officer Montez” is how the kids now greet Lee. However, it wasn’t always all smiles. “At first, the look on the kids faces were like, what are you doing down here… or am I in trouble, and stuff like that.” As each weekly visit passed, Lee started to receive waves, followed by smiles. Now, it’s not uncommon to see a few youngsters “chasing my cruiser trying to wave me down,” says Lee with a grin on his face.
Playing a game of basketball, air hockey, or shooting some billiards at Booker T. Washington has paid dividends. After just over two years, his main concern is helping. “We’re here to help, and hopefully the kids feel more comfortable… and it gets that image out of their head that we’re just trained robots”.
Although the joy on the kids’ faces brightens Officer Lee’s days, it’s not going to come by the way of winning a game. “I’m not going to let them win… life isn’t easy, so I’m not going to go easy on them.” Out of the 60+ kids Montez played in billiards, only one has knocked him off. “I’m not going to tell you who it was, he can let you know,” joked Lee.
Building equity into a community takes time and hard work, very reminiscent of the comeback Hamilton is starting to see. Hearsay was the only information Officer Lee had of Hamilton coming in. “Hamilton is a lot better and safer than I thought it was” says a laughing Lee. When swearing in as a Hamilton officer, surrounded by a large family, worried loved ones warned him. “When they found out I was going to Hamilton, they said, Oh man that’s a dangerous place… and it’s all because what they seen on the news,” says Montez.
Now, those same worried loved ones are enjoying the city they once feared. “We come here, we eat all the time, came to Operation Pumpkin… the view of Hamilton isn’t what it should be”, claimed Lee. When asked his favorite thing about Hamilton, Lee immediately responded… “Diversity”. Perhaps the perfect answer. “You can go from having a call in the projects, to answering a faulty alarm in a $300,000 home”.
Officer Montez Lee should make us all proud. Walking through the Hamilton Police Department, his enthusiasm and spirit was contagious. “It doesn’t feel like work to me… it’s something I love”. Montez mentioned walking past the collage of city police patches. Gazing at patches stretching from Canada to California, Lee noted, “Right here… is the best one” as he points to the embroidered Billy Yank enclosed by two American flags. “That’s the world famous Hamilton Police Department patch”.
As we walked past the assortment of composite photos, Officer Lee is proud to be a part of a special group of people. Wondering who might be the least special of all of them, Lee saying “I enjoy all of them equally”.
Once laughter came to a rest, Officer Montez, as the kids would say, provided words for us all to think about. “The people we serve… everyone is so different, the city is turning around… it’s a beautiful city, and it’s definitely different than I thought it was going to be”.
Let’s all pay it forward. You just never know. Just like Eddie Taylor might not have known it, but he and Officer Montez are both making an impact on kids in Hamilton.