Page 34 - 01D_CL7_APR20.indd

Policing like a
King
9th District CAPS officer puts it all on the line to better the community
n BY AMBER RAMUNDO
Officer Sabrina King will tell you that it’s always been her natural instinct to help others. Even before the Chicago native became a first responder, her role in hu- man resources with the Jane Addams Hull House Project led her to work with at-risk teens and marginalized communities.
Her calling had always been clear: serv- ing and protecting adolescents, but it wasn’t until her 16-year-old nephew was shot and killed on the south side of Chi- cago that her line of work would put her in uniform as a Chicago Police Officer. Everything changed that day in 1997, and King’s mission shifted from an effort to help teens, to a dedication to save their lives.
“I joined the police department be- cause I wanted to protect our youth,” King explained. “I said to myself, if I could save just one of them, that would mean more to me than anything.”
34 CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ APRIL 2020
Two years after joining the force in 1999, King was assigned to the 9th District CAPS Office, where she has pioneered ef- forts to change the lives of young people ever since.
“I try to show teens that you don’t have to be a victim of domestic violence or a gang banger or go out and sell drugs,” King explained.
Today, King’s efforts play out on bas-
ketball courts, in schools and in the com- munity where the officer finds ways to keep teens and adults active, educated and safe. In a Sherman Park gymnasium, King organizes basketball tournaments where teen boys who were once caught up in gang life have found self-empowering ways to spend their time.
“These guys now have a place to go. Instead of being out on the street gang banging, they’re inside the gym playing basketball,” shared King. “It makes me feel so good because we’re saving lives, keeping them safe – and it’s making a dif- ference.”
Between game time, King also finds ways to implement lessons on career de- velopment, hand out toiletries and dis- cuss the importance of schoolwork.
Each February, King lasers her focus on reaching middle school students, making her way into classrooms to discuss teen dating and domestic violence.