John Taylor left to come home.
On Monday the former Roanoke Rapids Police Department detective started his new job with the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation where, as a special agent, he is assigned to the Northeastern District. Part of that assignment is a concentration on Halifax, Nash and Northampton counties, he said Thursday evening.
Turning down a conditional offer from the FBI, Taylor said accepting the SBI offer was intertwined with a commitment to stay close to family he has in North Carolina and the Roanoke Valley community he now considers home.
“For a long time I had the aspiration, the goal of going to a federal agency. That actually became more true while I was working on the interstate. I began working with a lot of state and federal agencies.”
The work often had far greater implications when it came to prosecution of suspects on both a multistate and sometimes international level. “It was gratifying helping a larger community,” he said. “I felt like I was able to make a bigger dent.”
Eli is the newest addition to the Taylor family.
Then came November 17, 2010, when he was shot after making a traffic stop on Interstate 95. “All this time I wanted to work with a federal agency. After the shooting my perspective changed. Family was always important. After that I realized just how important they were. Suddenly, the goal of the federal government, while something that appealed to me, didn’t have the same appeal.”
Taylor applied with the FBI and the Secret Service. After a lengthy application process he received a conditional offer from the FBI but then the SBI started posting available positions. “I began to consider the SBI more seriously because that would be more conducive to the family lifestyle I wanted to live.”
When he accepted the FBI offer the SBI offer came in. The SBI offer, he said, “Would keep me closer to my family and friends in North Carolina and keep me closer to the community that has done so much for us and we love so much.”
He applied to be a special agent in the Northeastern District, which would mean a homecoming of sorts even after leaving the Roanoke Rapids Police Department. “We’re not originally from the area. My wife works in Northampton County. This area has welcomed and accommodated us.”
A portrait with his oldest son, Jacob.
After talking with his family and prayers about the matter, staying close to home mattered more. “It put things in perspective.”
The SBI, Taylor said, is an assisting agency whose help has to be requested by law enforcement, a district attorney or judge. It has some original jurisdiction like in cases involving financial or cyber crimes and child exploitation cases.
For Taylor, the assignment keeps him involved with law enforcement he has worked with in the seven and a half years he was in Roanoke Rapids and will open up relationships with other agencies. “I really couldn’t be happier. It’s an ideal situation. Not only do I continue to serve this community but I live out my goal of making a bigger imprint. It keeps us where I can stay with my family.”
He credits his experience with Roanoke Rapids as helping develop the skills necessary to make the career leap. “People may not realize it, but the Roanoke Rapids Police Department has some of the hardest working and most knowledgeable law enforcement officers you can find in the state.”
Roanoke Rapids officers do their own crime scene processing and, “Work any type of investigation thrown to them. They do it professionally and do it well. They end up with cases adopted by federal agencies and adopted by the SBI. They have some great officers who could work for any agency they want to.”
The shooting still stays with him. “It very much stays with me but in a positive way. I never had a problem with the shooting I think because of the positive support. Because of the way it turned out it is one of the best things that happened to me. It does give you new perspective on what is important in life.”
