It’s not everyday you get to graduate from the police academy. So when you do, you know it will be a memorable experience – one that you’ll always remember. But for one police officer about to graduate – it looked like he might not make his big day. Something else had come up. His wife was having their second child! Trent Kersey, of California, had planned to join the rest of his fellow graduates for the ceremony when his wife went into labor.
We did rehearsals … and then I came home, talked to my wife, and we ended up going to the hospital,” Kersey said.
The 25-year-old was excited for the birth of his second son (he and his wife, Victoria, are parents to an 18-month-old son). But, he acknowledged that missing his graduation would be “bittersweet”.
Trent Kersey and his son, Theo. Photo by Modesto Police Dept.
“I’d rather be there for my baby’s birth than go to the graduation. I always put my family first,” Kersey said. “I just thought it was going to be another regular delivery with the little man, [but] it turned out to be a whole different thing.” But as you might expect, the academy had their newest officer’s back. “They were like, ‘No, go be with your family. You need to be there for them. Graduation is graduation, but this is a once in a lifetime thing,’ ” Kersey said.
So, while the other members of his graduating class were sworn in, Kersey and his wife welcomed their newest addition, Theo, into the world. But, that was the only gift that day. An hour after Theo was born, Kersey got a phone call. “My sergeant called me and said, ‘Hey, how would you feel if we and the chief came by and swore you in at the hospital?’ ” Kersey said. “I talked to the hospital staff, and they got it cleared through their safety department and everything.” Sgt. Frank Inacio said he knew there had to be a way to allow Kersey to enjoy his graduation, along with the arrival of Theo.
Trent Kersey’s newborn son, Theo. Photo courtesy of the Kersey family
“He texted me the day before saying, ‘Hey, my wife’s in labor.’ So we knew he wasn’t going to be at graduation,” Inacio said. “I also knew that he was the class leader at the time, so … that’s a big, big position to hold. So we knew he was going to miss an opportunity at the academy that most people don’t miss.”
Those are big days in people’s careers.”
While Inacio acknowledged that the circumstances were not their typical ones, he said it just exemplified how the Modesto Police Department tries to put a “family-first” approach for their officers. “This career overwhelms you. It can suck you in, and the biggest thing is letting these new officers know, ‘We support you. It’s family first.’ They’re the ones that are going to be there when this career is over. It’s important to start that from the beginning,” Inacio said. Being sworn in, all while holding his brand-new-child left Kersey in awe.
Trent Kersey with his wife, son and Modesto Police Department. Photo by the Modesto Police Dept.
“It was amazing, like something else,” he said. “It made me and my family feel really welcome into the police department. It was definitely something I was trying to soak in at the moment. I was just kind of shocked.” The Kersey family are now back home from the hospital. Trent Kersey said he is “super excited” to one day recount what happened to his two children, 1-year-old son Maverick and baby Theo.
He added that he hopes his personal story will shine a positive light on people working in law enforcement. “Law enforcement are people too. We’re not just out there doing a job. We’re also people and it proves that we care, we actually care about families and what’s going on in the community,” Kersey said. Watch below to see this unusual, but heartwarming, graduation ceremony!
