b' making choicesHow choices can shape future decisionsplayer and his friends were on the high school baseball and basketball teams.Mr. Prewitt and his friends were amazed that the officer knew an interesting fact about each one of them. The officer told them that he knew they were very good kids.But that day in Memphis, the officer still had a job to do. He gave the boys a choice: He could take them to juvenile court, or they could tell their parents that they had been stopped by a police officer after curfew. They chose to tell their parents themselves.Healthy Trailblazer Journal reporters interview Keith Prewitt about his public safety career. Fast-forward about 10 years: After playing football for Memphis State University (now The University of In April 1968,Mr. Prewitt and his friends wereMemphis), Mr. Prewitt was recruited when Keithexpecting the police officer to callby the citys police department. At the Prewitt wasthem very bad names and sendpolice academy graduation ceremony, 14, he andthem to jail. Instead, the officer said,the same officer who had stopped his his friendsYoung men, where are you going? friends and him pinned his badge to were outhis uniform.and aboutMr. Prewitt says he and his friends Keith Prewittin a part ofwere surprised. They looked at eachMr. Prewitt went on to a career in Safety and Security Officer downtownother and said, "Young men? Who ispublic safety and security, including Memphis,this guy talking to? service as a deputy director of the Tenn., where they werent supposedThe officer asked them whether theyU.S. Secret Service. He and the to be. They started to get nervousknew that the city had a curfew. TheMemphis officer remained good when they saw a lot of fire trucks andboys replied no.friends until the officer passed away police cars coming to the area. years after their first meeting.The officer asked another question: We didnt know what was going on,Do yall know that Dr. King was justHe helped shape my decision to go but we chose to get out, Mr. Prewittassassinated? And our jaws dropped,into public service, Mr. Prewitt says. says. Before we made it home, weand we said, Sir, we didnt know. And I am forever indebted to him for were stopped by a police officer. Thethat.individual who got out of the policeThe police officer then said he had seen them in their neighborhood. HeBy Cyani Lyons, Mckenzie Andrews,car had to be the biggest human being and Aaden Brown Id ever seen in my life.knew Mr. Prewitt was a good football DePaul Healthy Trailblazer JournalHe was about 6-feet-6-inches tall and had a crew cut like a U.S. Marine.Page 8 illustration: Lexus Jimenez, 4th grade, Isaac A. Sheppard Healthy Shark (listen)Page 9 illustration: Delaney Jackson, 7th grade, MaST Community Charter Healthy Panther Post (scale)8B Y K I D S , F O R K I D S | F a l l 2 0 2 5'