True Police
Stories
"Courage is the ability to move;
when all around you are frozen in fear
and no one would blame you if you did nothing at all."
Capt. Click. Phx. PD
My Name is J.R. Salima
Taken from the book Think
About it... for your reading convenience
I go by J.R. or Junior.
Most of my close friends don’t even know my real name.
My testimony of the truthfulness of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints
did not come by a great whirlwind, or by an awe-inspiring event.
It came by way of small occurrences. Each one adding upon the other, increasing
my faith, a portion
at a time. However, they were important and impressionable. Having been a member
of the Church
all of my life, it’s difficult to say exactly when I first felt the sweet spirit
of the Holy Ghost, but I do
know that I have felt the familiar “burning in the bosom,” testifying that the
gospel was true.
Still, I wondered if it was when I was young, seeing my parents spend countless
hours helping those
less fortunate. It was then when I learned the lesson of love and charity. I
wondered if it came when
I often sat at the feet of my grandfathers, when they spoke of their years of
missionary work in the
Samoan Islands. It was then when I learned about humility and service. Yet, I
wondered whether it
came when I learned about testimonies and true brotherhood in the Aaronic
Priesthood Boy Scout
Program. It was then when I began to see myself as a young man and catching a
glimpse of my eternal
potential.
When I turned nineteen, I started feeling what I thought was a testimony, but
little did I know that
for the next two years, that feeling would grow beyond my youthful
understanding. Serving on a
mission to the American Indian people, on the many reservations of Arizona, I
became closer to the
spirit, relying on it each passing day to guide and protect me. I discovered
that as I drew closer to the
spirit, it drew closer to me.
I saw with my own eyes, miraculous workings of the spirit,
that same Great Spirit that even the Indians spoke of.
I knew that my life and purpose on earth was no mistake. I knew at that time
that the gospel was true.
I saw it change the lives of many. Consequently, I found the American Indian to
be a proud and
humble people, despite their stereotyping, and I was fortunate to live and serve
among them. As with
any returned missionary, I saw my road in life clearly, and I was determined to
follow it, as I had been
taught. On my mission, one particular scripture in the Doctrine and Covenants,
which the Lord says
He is bound when we do as He says, impressed me very much. I believed that if I
served diligently,
the Lord would keep his promise and bless me with a good occupation. In October
of 1974, when
I graduated from the Kansas City, Missouri Police Academy and became a police
officer, I felt the
hand of the Lord in my life. I felt His direction and I knew this would be an
honorable profession to
raise a young family with.
Like many police officers, I saw and experienced many things that could
challenge a testimony. Due
to the nature of the job, we can become desensitized to the Spirit, relying on
logic instead of
inspiration. I had to work hard to keep my faith strong, because of the many
calls and conditions that
were not conducive to the spirit. I knew that if I were not careful, I could
have been pulled away from
the things I held dear, my wife, my young family, and even the Church. I also
found out that
police work can be very hard on a marriage and I often found myself plagued with
cynicism and a
careless attitude.
I saw myself change as I continued to work the streets,
becoming hard and unfeeling. Not only toward my loved ones
but toward the very Spirit that had helped me so often before.
I learned that people change, some for the better and some for the worse, and I
did not like how I was
changing. It was a struggle to keep focused, attending my meetings, doing my
home teachings, and
even using my priesthood. But it’s interesting though, how quickly your
perspective can change,
when one day I found myself staring down the barrel of a gun pointed at me and
the person on the
other end of the gun saying, “You’re gonna die!” I had just answered a bank
robbery call, and
followed the suspect down a residential street, when he suddenly stopped in the
middle of the road.
He approached my patrol car, and there we were, face to face in a stand-off. I
don’t know why he
decided to drop his weapon, but I have an idea. I recalled saying to myself that
day that I was too
young to die and leave my family alone.
It was at that very moment I promised myself
that I was not going to leave this earth in such an unprepared state.
This had been my wake up call.
I know without a doubt that the Lord had protected me that day. It was so that I
could fulfill my true
measure in life. I have learned that the Lord is mindful of me, and knows me as
an individual. For
more than twenty-three years now, having served in Patrol, Traffic, SWAT,
Narcotics and other
assignments, I have felt the touch of the Master’s Hand in my life. He has
preserved my life countless
times and I cannot deny His influence. I have served in a bishopric and as a
high councilor for many
years while as a police officer. I can assure any fellow brother or sister in
blue, that the gospel can
be lived to the fullest while serving your country, your community, from behind
a badge.
It is the law of obedience that protects us and makes us stronger. All I need to
do is look at my two
sons serving on missions, my daughter active in Young Women’s and in school and
the unconditional
love my eternal companion of twenty-two years has for me and I realize how
blessed I have been.
As we live the very laws we promise to uphold and protect, we can also live the
greater spiritual laws.
Our job is tough, and the rewards are sometimes hard to see. Our vision is
dimmed by the constant
pressure we must work in and live with. Still, we need all the help we can get,
although we may find
ourselves out-manned and out-gunned on the streets,
I know that if our lives are in order and the Spirit is with us,
the best back-up we can get is not far away.
I know each day can be challenging, but I believe that the race is not always to
the swift, but to those
who keep on running. I know my testimony will be tried and tested, but I know
that without it, I
would be a mere shell of a man. Even though a bullet-proof vest is an essential
part of my uniform,
I know that my testimony, along with my priesthood, is the real armor that I
take to the streets. It has
helped me to continue running the race. I know that Jesus Christ lives and I
know that this is His true
church. It is my hope and prayer that I can someday say to my Savior, with a
clear conscience,
“I have fought a good fight,
I have finished my course,
I have kept the faith...”
Officer (&RM) Miller T. Salima Badge #9570
If you are or were a police officer,
soldier, fireman
or wife, mother, father of such or some other branch of emergency
personnel
and would like to share an unusual testimony building experience with
others,
please contact us for details at
Samuel@ldscops.com
or use the link on the front page of this site at
www.LDSCOPS.com
Thank you and God bless,