NORFOLK, Va. — Michelle Naughton-Epps is more than just the new Assistant Police Chief for Norfolk. She's also a wife, a mom, and a grandma. She said she understands how to interact with people -- from all different backgrounds, neighborhoods, and fate -- because she's lived it!
"When you see me, you see you. I am you. I'm no different," she said. "I've had the same struggles. I've been on Medicaid, I've had WIC, I've lived in public housing, I went to public school."
She may wear a highly decorated police uniform now, but the native New Yorker has also been homeless, broke, a single mom, a cancer patient, and someone who has needed help from the police.
"I was a victim of domestic violence when I was in New York and I share that when I go on calls, because I understand... and I think understanding is a key element," Naughton-Epps shared.
She said her mother convinced her to move down to her hometown of Norfolk and apply to NPD.
"I was a single mother of three. I was living in the projects of Brooklyn-Louis Armstrong Houses and I had my sister with me when my mom moved back to Norfolk. It was just me and my sister and it was hard," she explained.
But she put in the hard work and got on the force with the support of her fellow officers especially her close buddy from the academy Officer Sheila Herring, who was killed in the line of duty in 2003.
"My accomplishments are not mine alone," Naughton-Epps reflected. "She has a lot to do with it. She's still on patrol because she rides with me."
Naughton-Epps is upset about the uptick in violence in Norfolk and across the country.
"I'm angry that we're losing our children. I'm angry about the gun violence, but inside I'm hurting emotionally because I can't even imagine what the mothers and the families are going through; they're losing their children," she said. "I have sons and I'm afraid for them. I worry immensely about them when they leave the house because I know I'm not exempt from the gun violence either."
She said she's looking forward to getting back into the community with pandemic restrictions lifted.
"We've got to look out for each other and we've got to love each other. It's about mutual respect and we've got to grab our babies and tell them we love them. We need them here. It's a whole generation I'm afraid we're not gonna have," she explained.
Assistant Chief Naughton-Epps got married during the pandemic and gained two bonus kids. She credits her faith in God, her family, and her fellow officers for helping her to get through the tough times and hopes to inspire the next generation.
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