Like moths to a flame, folks couldn’t help stopping by to say hello to Delta Jolly one afternoon at Just Love Coffee while she chatted about life after retirement from law enforcement. “It’s like a reunion in here!” she exclaimed. Some were friends she made during her days providing security for local gatherings, others from the annual events she organized, like Blue Santa and the Police Explorer Program. One was a Starbucks worker she knew from her regular coffee runs. All were connected by their love for the former police officer who lights up every room with her exuberant smile and instantly befriends anyone within earshot.
IT’S ABOUT PEOPLE
That passion for people is what inspired Delta to trade her original patrol hat for a community engagement role with Georgetown PD in 2016, a passion that has kept her engaged with the community after retiring in July. “I thought I was going to miss that part of policing, that it would be a hole I would need to fill, but I think the foundation I had already laid before I left and seeing everybody around—I really thought I was going to miss the engagement side of it, but I’m finding that I’m more engaged,” she says.
It’s no wonder, considering all the hats she has worn since retiring from law enforcement—Criminal Justice teacher and cheer coach at Georgetown High School, Austin Community College professor, and children’s author of the Officer Jolly series, which highlights Delta’s police adventures. She started teaching at GHS this fall, a door that opened unexpectedly when she was at the school one day picking up Criminal Justice curriculum for the Police Explorer Program. Principal Brian Johnson asked if she was there about the criminal justice teaching position, which she hadn’t even heard about. But the more she thought about the job, the more it seemed like the perfect fit—especially after a sobering conversation with her daughter, Peyten.
“My daughter asked me this year, ‘Every time you get in your patrol car, are you afraid you’re going to get shot?’ ” Delta asked why she would think that. “Because your police car is a target,” Peyten said. “For an 11-year-old to recognize, with all the stuff going on in the world today, yeah, we need to make some changes,” Delta says. “And then this opportunity came up. It was one of the easiest decisions I’ve ever made.”
She was particularly excited that she wouldn’t have to be angry all the time anymore. “As a police officer, I had to see the bad in people,” she says. “Now as a teacher, I get to help everybody. I get to see the transformation in them almost immediately. I’m excited to see those light bulbs in the classroom.”
HER LEGACY
Still, she says she will miss organizing the police department’s community initiatives, including National Night Out, Blue Santa, Chase the Chief, and the Police Explorer Program. One of her favorite memories as an officer was the warm welcome she received when she joined the force, especially from older folks who loved that she was the first black female officer in Georgetown history. “Holy smokes they were excited,” she says.
Fast forward three-and-a-half years of working patrol while immersing herself in the community and Delta was ready to embrace her next role. As the Community Engagement officer, she enjoyed building relationships with neighbors, running community events, and being the face of Georgetown PD at HOA meetings, Boy and Girl Scout events, and civic group gatherings. “What I loved the most about that role is I was truly able to grow it into something worthwhile,” she says. “The connections weren’t about me. It was about the group, no matter how young or old that I got to talk to or visit with. I always learned something from those connections and I believe that truly made me ready to teach.”
Delta is ready to embark on a new adventure of positive influence through teaching, coaching, continuing her Officer Jolly series, and advocating for kids as a board member at Go Blue, a child abuse awareness group with the Williamson County Children’s Advocacy Center. As a teacher, she’s excited to see her Police Explorer Program kids all grown up at GHS. “I’ve gotten some of the biggest hugs—they haven’t seen me in forever,” she says.
Ultimately, her life transition has reminded Delta who all her efforts are for. “At the end of the day, I get to spend more time with my daughter,” she says. “She gets to see me more often – the teacher side of me, the mom side of me, not the police side of me.”
Click here to learn more about Delta and her Officer Jolly series.