The Manning Times is doing a series of stories on first responders in the county. It is our hope to give residents an inside look at the hard work put into keeping our county safe. This week, we sat down with Manning Police Department Sergeants Brandon Allen and Jonathan Stukes. Allen is originally from Darlington and Stukes is from Sumter. Recently promoted, these two have each been in law enforcement for 13 years. This is the third story in the series.
MT: What inspired you to become a first responder?
BA: When I was a kid, I met a deputy through my dad, and I talked to him. I was kind of intrigued by the lights on the car at the time. So, talked with him, sat in the patrol car, and I was hooked ever since.
JS: While I was doing Corrections, my grandfather was a police officer with Sumter PD. No one else in the family was a police officer other than him. So, I wanted to give it a shot. I fell in love with it. Just basically carry on the legacy.
MT: How do you cope with all the stress that comes with being a first responder?
BA: I would say friends and I like to golf on the weekends. Just going to different events outside of this to take your mind off of it. I just use it as a turn off switch from this job.
JS: I like spending time with the kids, family. I ride four-wheelers, hunting, fishing.
MT: How do you handle making difficult decisions on the job?
BA: I try to make sure that every situation that I encounter is handled appropriately and fairly. As far as making decisions on scene and making decisions with people, actually going through the whole scenario, listening to the whole story on both sides and making an accurate decision and not just taking sides. Making sure that we're making proper judgment calls.
JS: Yeah, making the right decision. Making sure that everybody knows that I’m being fair. But it’s you that’s got to make a decision, so sometimes it may go the other way than the way they want, but in the end, you gotta make the right decision.
MT: What is something you wish more people knew about the job?
JS: That is not a hard job. It’s a fun job. Meet new people, sometimes able to save a life or help save a life. And teach the kids in the schools and the community that don’t look at police as being bad. Don’t go off the news, basically. How they portray us to be bad people? Not all of us are bad. So just basically, you need our help. We’re here for you. Just keep that in mind, right? We’re here to help.
BA: I’ll say the same. Not paying attention to what the news says, making us all out to be that way. You know, we’re human, too. We make decisions. Sometimes, you know, unfortunately, we have to make decisions that alter people’s lives. But that’s something that we have to do and it’s what we’re asked to do. But as far as meeting new people, being in the community, talking to people ... we’ve gone to a lot of advanced classes and travel to trainings in other states. Getting to kind of meet other law enforcement agencies and see how they do things. Not knowing what you’re gonna do day to day and it could be anything any minute. But it’s a fun job and it’s a rewarding career.
MT: How has your job as a first responder impacted your perspective on life and your personal values?
BA: I would say that it makes my decision making better off the job. And also it makes you appreciate more things. Different situations that you get into, you appreciate being able to go home every day and understand that that might he might not get to do that. But it makes me more well-rounded, I guess, is kind of how it me feel. I take pride in what I’m doing and I try to do that at all times. And this job has a lot to do with that.
JS: I would say with outside life, that being professional - law enforcement, fire fighter, first responder - it gives you a look at things differently. You’re basically held to a higher standard. I can’t be out here getting a DUI and then the next day arrest someone else for DUI. Just professional at all times, on and off duty.
MT: How do you build trust and get people to cooperate in crisis situations?
JS: First, let them know that you’re here to help, not make it any worse. If it’s a bad situation, try to console them. Talk with them. Overall, basically be there for them.
BA: I will say that the biggest tool that officers have is their mouth. When we get a call, what I do personally is if you got something going on, try to separate the people and talk to them one on one. Be human and don’t lie to them. If they did something wrong, and they know they’re gonna go to jail for it, they know they’re gonna go. So don’t tell them I don’t know, we’re gonna wait and see. If they know, they know. Be honest with them. They’re human, you’re human. Most of the time, I’ll break it down to understand. Look, you know what you did or what’s going on. You know what I got to do. I’ve got a job to do just like anybody else and it’s nothing personal, but I’ve got to do it. And so using your mouth, talking to people, and not escalating situations is one of the best things you can do.
JS: To piggy back off of that, you got to tell them with your presence and use your mouth. Just because I got a badge, I’m not different than you. I just got the badge on, that’s it. So treat them the same way you want to treated.
MT: Can you describe a particularly memorable call you responded to and how it affected you?
BA: I wouldn’t say a call in particular, but there’s several incidents that both of us have been in where if we just took it for how it looks, we would have just drove on. But there’s definitely situations where because we took the time, we
saw something or felt something with the person that we needed to really make sure everything’s okay. Especially domestics, there’s times you’ll go and it’s not a whole lot of anything, but you’ll get that feeling and your hair stands up back your neck like hey, there’s something more to this. It might lead you to say I need to pull this person aside and you let them know they’re safe, and we’re here to help you. All they got to do is tell us, right? And there’s several instances we’ve had, that we’ve done together, that because we were able to make the person comfortable enough to tell us what was actually going on, we were able to remove them from a dangerous situation.
JS: I think the most memorable, I can remember it always, is responding to a shooting in the apartments. It was a murder-suicide, but it was an infant and the whole thing ... that’s always that one scene no one wants to see, right? And then to be present for them every day. It was a lot of emotion. We were doing our policing plus transport for all the families, so they see me in this position. I’ve been here at Manning PD since 2015 and I’ve been to plenty of homicides, and they’re all different but they’re always in your head.
MT: What do you think are the qualities needed to be a first responder?
BA: You have to be compassionate. You have to have a heart. You have to understand that people who do this, it’s definitely not for the money by any means. It has to be a calling to you. I’ve always said over the years that you don’t choose law enforcement, law enforcement chooses you. And when you get into this profession, you’re gonna be good at it or you’re not. But when you come in, you have to be open minded and you have to understand that the badge and gun is a big responsibility. That doesn’t make you any better or above anybody else. It just holds you to a higher standard
JS: I feel the same. No one is going to look on the computer and think, I want to be a police officer. It’s gotta be something you want do. Another thing you got to look at when you get this job is okay, I’m at work, but anything happens to me, I might not go home. So, that’s another thing to think about.
MT: What can we do as citizens to help the community and first responders?
BA: I think the one of the primary things is education in law enforcement. As a community, if you want to know what we do, instead of watching the news or hearing what people say, come ask us. Come get with us and let us show you exactly what we do and explain what we do. A lot of agencies have ride along programs, that’s something I hope we eventually get. I think it’s good if the community interacts with us and lets us show them that we’re not everything that we’re made out to be at times. This is actually a really good group of men and women, especially with the Manning Police Department, who are here to help and will help them do whatever the community needs of them. I think we all just need to join together and work together as a community.
JS: If you live in town or the county and have questions about the police department, when they have community
events - like we do every summer, Popsicles in the Park - we do it to build trust and friendship within the community. That’s a big way to come out, get to know the officers and fire department and just mingle. That’s another chance to ask questions about certain things in your neighborhood or certain things that you’ve been hearing. It’s a good way to get it out and get to know us.
