'I'm human as well': TPA officer balances law enforcement with kindness among traveling passengers
TAMPA, Fla. - Officer Jimmie Bizzle has been with the Tampa International Airport Police Department for a little more than a decade.
The department gets calls on everything: from missing people and pets to burglary and theft cases.
"Caught an interest because at the airport, it is a constantly changing atmosphere," Officer Bizzle told FOX 13. "People from different countries, different backgrounds. In the airport, you have a city that is constantly changing. Melting pot of everyone and if you stand in a spot long enough, like you said, people watch, you might be surprised who you see."
One thing is for sure, no two days are the same. For Officer Bizzle, he has one main approach to law enforcement.
"They're civilians, I'm law enforcement. They're over here, I'm over here, " he noted. "We can communicate with members of our community and still be law enforcement. We have to break down those walls, those barriers and we can do that.
One of the more common crimes at the airport are burglary and theft -- basically crimes of opportunity.
Officer Bizzle tries to find opportunities for care while offering compassion and kindness.
"[There was a] situation where a mother was traveling from the transfer station to the gate. She was running late, they were boarding at the gate," he recalled. "She had three children, small children, and three bags. I walked over to her and asked her if I could help. ‘Can I help you?’ and she looked totally surprised. I escorted her to TSA screening, to the gate actually. Opportunity to allow me, a law enforcement officer, to show I’m human as well."
Officer Bizzle says that TPA police has more of a customer service aspect to it, on top of the law enforcement side.
That makes him perfect for the Tampa International Airport Police Department.
"Opportunity is everywhere. It's whether or not you are willing to reach out and take someone by the hand and say, ‘Hey, let me help, let me see what I can do,’ and at least give that person some hope and hopefully a conclusion to their problems," Officer Bizzle explained. "You never know what's on their mind or what they're going through but I think that one conversation, one hello, one smile might make the difference in their day."