A former gym trainer, corrections officer and 911 operator are trading in their old jobs for the Thin Blue Line as the Statesboro Police Department welcomed three new officers into service.
Andrea Porter, Jeremiah Smythe and Matthew Jackson were recently sworn in at Statesboro City Hall and are training to hit the streets soon, under supervision if Cpl. Christopher Mock. None of the three started out to become law enforcement officers, but different paths led them to the badge.
Not only does Officer Matthew Jackson have a brand new career, he has a new baby boy, born earlier this week. He and wife Megan already had one son, and the 28-year-old said he is thrilled to meet Baker, the newest addition to his family.
Originally from Pike County, Jackson transferred to Georgia Southern University from boarding school, and achieved a degree in kinesiology. That path led him to employment for several years as a trainer at 180 Fitness in Statesboro, but the COVID-19 pandemic took its toll on the health and fitness gym industry and Jackson started seeking something with more stability.
“2020 has been one of those years for everybody,” he said.
But things, he said, began to turn around when several people he knew from the gym who were police officers suggested he consider law enforcement. He applied with the City of Statesboro and was accepted as a police officer. Jackson enjoys working out, playing golf, hunting and fishing.
Officer Andrea Porter started out as a 911 operator with Screven and Jenkins counties after family friends and county leaders urged her to take the position. “They said it was a good fit,” the 24-year-old said.
Born in Statesboro and raised in Sylvania, Porter graduated from Screven County High School and later started dispatching calls with 911. That’s where the public safety bug bit her.
“I fell in love with it,” she said. “I have a passion for it.”
When the opportunity came, Porter submitted an application for the Statesboro police job and was hired.
The mother of a daughter, 4, and a son, 3, she enjoys reading, boating, the coast and visiting family in Cape Hatteras, N.C.
Officer Jeremiah Smythe joins the force at age 38. After graduating from Southeast Bulloch High School, Smythe enlisted with the Army. He left the military in 2010 and moved back to Statesboro after living out of state for a few years. He said he worked at Briggs & Stratton and later became a corrections officer with Georgia State Prisons.
Smythe’s father was a police officer, and when he saw the Statesboro police had openings, “I decided to see what it was like for my father,” he said.
Smythe is a gaming enthusiast who loves challenges and enjoys card games. He is the father of four children with his wife Vicki.
The three new officers are in training and are expected to be patrolling the streets of Statesboro soon, Mock said.
Herald reporter Holli Deal Saxon may be reached at (912) 489-9414.