Police officer combines duty with charity

Her initiative, ‘Once A Man, Twice A Child’, seeks to provide essential resources and support to those unable to help themselves. The foundation’s mission is to foster a nurturing environment where individuals of all ages can thrive through community engagement, care, and partnerships. 

Constable Brown Witter was inspired to establish the foundation after encountering an elderly man in need while distributing relief supplies during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2022. 

When she saw his living condition, she tells JIS News “My heart cried”, before adding: “I determined then to help in any way that I could, and I assisted with food items, medication, providing sanitary napkins, adult pampers, and any other assistance that I could provide.”

Though she had long assisted the less fortunate, the burden became too heavy to shoulder alone, which ultimately gave birth to her foundation. 

Before joining the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), Brown Witter, who served the Old Harbour Police subdivision for a few years, spent over two decades in teaching. Despite initial resistance from her parents, she pursued her childhood dream of becoming a police officer.  This pursuit came with its own challenge too, as after her application went unanswered she took matters into her own hands. 

“I just got fed up and went to the National Police College of Jamaica, at the recruiting centre, and asked about my application. They thought I was a police officer and asked which formation I was with. I answered, ‘if you give me a desk and a chair, I will serve here’,” she recalls with laughter.

“I was the oldest person in training at the time and I had to prove that I could do it. I made it to the end. I was successful and since then I have been placed in St. Catharine South. I have worked at several stations in the division, in several capacities and in various leadership posts.”

The Spanish Town native proved her resilience, graduating and serving in various leadership roles within the St. Catherine South Division. 

Now a training officer at the Greater Portmore Police Station, Brown Witter mentors new recruits and conducts refresher courses for seasoned personnel. “With the whole transformation of the JCF, things are changing and moving rapidly, so, you have to get the older members up to par and again, that falls in the training office where I sit,” she said.

The constable, a mother of two, has also opened her home to seven additional children, noting “Raising them has been a blessing”.

Being a police officer, she acknowledges, means sacrificing quality family moments, missing holidays, important events. Though a profound fact, she’s still urging colleagues to cherish their loved ones by creating a schedule that will build strong relationships, and make every moment count. 

“So, the birthdays, Valentine’s Day, Christmas, New Year’s and all those things, you don’t always have a chance to celebrate with them, but what you have to do, you have to create your own schedule. Ensure that you make lasting relationships,” she advises.