Courage in the Line of Duty

EJ Alvarez is a 2023 Criminal Justice graduate of TBC. 

As a college student, Evelio Alvarez took his responsibilities seriously and he loved every moment of his time as a right fielder for the TBC Eagles. Evelio says his coach (Jon Copeland) was instrumental in teaching him how to lead with a Biblical worldview.  This included leading pre-game meetings that were focused on spiritual development, prayer, and studying scripture.

Chasing his childhood dream of going into law enforcement, Alvarez graduated from TBC’s Criminal Justice program in 2023.  He was sworn in to the force in August of that same year. 

Recently, the Chief of Police of the Live Oak Police Department honored Officer Alvarez with a Letter of Commendation for outstanding performance in the line of duty. 

Referencing the high-stakes scene which required immediate courageous action, the letter states that,

“Officer Alvarez showed no sign of hesitation and demonstrated high levels of courage under fire and commitment to bring the suspect to justice and the incident to a swift end.  Officer Alvarez acted as a pivotal member of his team and was vital to the overall effort to apprehend the suspect.”

When asked what courage means to him in the context of his job, Alvarez said it is all about “keeping a level head and adapting to the unknown, so we all make it home safely.”

Walking into stressful or life-threatening scenarios can affect mental health.  Knowing this, Alvarez believes in doing everything possible to prepare for the unknown. 

One way Alvarez deals with the mental and emotional load is through nurturing his faith and belief in God’s timing.

But faith doesn’t necessarily make a difficult job easy.  He explains it this way:

“I try to always put God first… before and after every shift – remembering that everything He allows is what the outcome will be…This job is very rewarding, but it also has another side of it – you see a lot of stuff: some good, some terrible.”

Officer Alvarez also believes in being prudent and doing everything possible to stay prepared physically.  He does this by taking advantage of extra training opportunities and staying fit. Being able to rely on tools, training, and technique could mean saving a life. 

Looking back, he is enthusiastic about the training he received as an undergraduate at Trinity, as well as the internship he landed with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. 

“The internship was phenomenal! I got to experience different units and activities within the agency before being sworn in.  It really helped me realize that ‘yeah, this job is for me’.”

He speaks highly of the hands-on training he had in college.

Alvarez specifically recalls Dr. Buckner arranging for him to practice finger printing and reporting and how helpful it was once he enrolled in the Police Academy. 

With a chuckle, he recalls Dr. Buckner’s insistence that he and his classmates tick through the mental list of ‘who, what, where, when, why’ while filling out a report.

“Dr. Buckner always stressed the importance of report writing.  Because when you start the job, no matter where you go, you’re going to start on the patrol level… you have to be able to listen and jot down every note that you possibly can…”

Of course, every agency has its own policies and procedures. However, Alvarez says that having the general background knowledge and experience made a big difference in his confidence and ability to move ahead with success.

Originally from Suwannee county, Alvarez appreciated the close-knit atmosphere he found at Trinity.  Coming from a churched background, he says that the opportunities to grow spiritually on stood out to him as a significant benefit to him as a student.

“It felt like a family… and no matter where you went or what you did on campus, you could dive deeper and learn more about God.”