From The NFL To The MSP: Former UM Player Among Police Recruits

DETROIT, MI – Cameron Gordon’s football career took the former Wolverine linebacker from Detroit to the Kansas City Chiefs. The former undrafted free agent never played a game in the NFL and is back in the Motor City. And now, he’s a Michigan State Police trooper.

On Monday, Gordon was introduced as one of nine new troopers serving the metropolitan Detroit area. The nine new troopers graduated Thursday, Nov. 30 from the Michigan State Police recruitment program.
Officer Cameron Gordon, as he’s now known, introduced himself to the media and opened up about his experience going through recruitment.

As a former free agent in the NFL and the Chiefs, Gordon said he experienced stress in the NFL and was unsure of what a career as professional football would hold for him. Thus, with the uncertainty of being an athlete he came back to Michigan, where was once a linebacker for the Wolverines and pursued a career where he felt he could have more impact: As State Police because he felt that this is where he belonged.

"The community should know that just because we are in a uniform doesn't mean we can't relate,” Gordon said. “Just from that standpoint, it's not an us versus them mentality. I think it is very important that they know we are on their side."

The nine new troopers are a diverse group of members, pointed out new Gordon’s colleague, Officer William Cooper. The diversity of the group is a strong message stressed to them through recruitment that the Michigan State Police want members of their program to be representatives of each of their neighborhoods, so that community members can look to them and see themselves in the force.

"Right now in this country there are many divides that have grown between people, one thing that has been reinforced to us by we are the people there is no us versus them,” Cooper said. “We are representatives of the community. "

Officer Anthony Johnson originally from Los Angeles, came to Michigan to become a trooper to be closer to his family, after spending a lot of time traveling professionally. Johnson wanted to be near his son, he felt that Michigan State Police had the best to offer, and was met with a lot of support when he made his choice to join.

Melissa Rust, the only female officer among the nine recruits, spoke on her experiences of recruitment. She said that being surrounded by men certainly pushed her to work just as hard in the program. She said she doesn't see the job as a "guy’s job" and that anyone can do it if they have the will and the strong personality for it.

She encouraged women that if they don't try, they won't ever know. Although she was the only female assigned to the Second District, she wasn't the only female in her training class of 100 men and women, she was one of fifteen women in the training course. Rust said that working alongside men and women during the recruitment process although some days were harder than others, it made it easier to know that she had the support of her class.

Photo by Miranda Karanfili