Sgt. Garrett Poole

Sgt. Garrett Poole finds helping people to be a fulfilling part of working as a detective for the Fulton Police Department.

“I'm assigned as a detective, and to be able to solve that case and to make sure that victim receives the justice that they deserve and so on - I like that part. We don't get it every time, but when we do, it's nice,” he said.

Garrett joined the Fulton Police Department 17 years ago. His original goal was to be active duty military. He joined the National Guard while in school.

“The guard kept deploying me. They met my needs. So, I’m like ‘What’s next? Law enforcement,’” he said.

Working in law enforcement comes with its own set of challenges including the dual roles officers have in the community.

“This job is different every day when you go into work, and you just don’t know what’s going to happen,” Garrett said. “There is always being on alert when you’re out in public, but also giving off that vibe where people can approach you and talk to you.”

The job also involves more paperwork than most would expect, he said. Sometimes, he could be on scene for 5 minutes and later spend two or three hours filling out paperwork to make sure everything is documented properly.

Garrett is married and the father of a 5-year-old daughter.

“I love having the opportunity to have quality time with them; it doesn’t matter what we do,” he said. “We enjoy going to St. Louis to the science center or zoo, something kid-friendly. We try to keep a lot of it educational, especially with a young daughter. I can bring my mom, she lives in that area, so she tags along with us for doing stuff.”