The Jefferson Police Department recently hired a new patrol officer.

Cody Smith is originally from Indianola. He graduated from Indianola High School in 2013. He then attended Iowa Central Community College for two years playing football. He left Iowa Central and went to Waldorf University for a semester to play football, but then came back to Iowa Central after injuring his shoulder and wanting to finish his associate’s degree in criminal justice. He also fought for Iowa Central’s Tae Kwon Do team and is a national champion. The 22-year-old was recently married. He talks about his family background and how that relates to wanting to be in law enforcement.

“I was raised by a single mother with three boys. I was raised in that tough household where the more right you do, eventually you’re going to make yourself something. I don’t really look at life as mistakes are a bad thing, it’s a lesson. The good people in the world is what I want to be. I want to be remembered as somebody who helped society and help people. I want to be the officer that changes people’s lives for the good.”

The Jefferson City Council approved hiring Smith at their last regular meeting in October. Smith started with the department on October 25th. Smith replaces former officer Kyle DeMoss who took a job with the city water department in August.