SSC Awards 4 Scholarships To Current & Future Minority Law Enforcement Officers

Since the inception of SSC, just over 50 years ago, the culture to foster education and training has been at the foundation of our success. As our leadership team monitored the unrest in June of 2020 and discussed how we could most directly impact the communities in which we work, from students and parents to educators and administrators, we kept coming back to our heritage of education and training. SSC began a fund for law enforcement scholarships to facilitate education or training for minorities in their career ascension to command or leadership positions within law enforcement. Law enforcement scholarships are available both to current members of law enforcement, or future members of law enforcement beginning their education and careers.

This year, we have awarded four $2,500 scholarships. These individuals have already made great positive impacts in their communities, and we are excited to support them as they continue their education and training.

Eddie Brown Jr.

Eddie Brown Jr. of DeSoto, Texas, has been a police officer in his community for 13 years. This fall, Eddie began studying Criminal Justice at the University of North Texas. He hopes to use his education to advance his career, follow in his father’s footsteps and become Chief of Police one day.

Eddie hopes to help kids in his community see what they can achieve in the field through his law enforcement career. He wants to be an example to these children, showing them that they can advance from an officer role to a sergeant, lieutenant, or police chief.

Zecharius Newton

Zecharius Newton of Pine Lake, Georgia, is currently studying Criminal Justice at Herzing University. Zecharius has a passion for law enforcement that centers around giving back to the community. After graduation, he plans to become a Parole Officer to help people get back on their feet and turn their life around after previous convictions.

Zecharius also emphasized his desire to diversify the police force. When talking about his motivation for starting a career in law enforcement, he shared: “Growing up, I didn’t see a lot of people that were my color in law enforcement. I want to change the perception of law enforcement so that you see a more diverse field.”

Helen Brown

Helen Brown of Jackson, Mississippi, began her career in law enforcement in a unique way. Initially working in finance, she had never considered a career in law enforcement but was always actively involved in her community. She started a nonprofit organization, No More Tears, that focused on helping victims and families of human trafficking. The county sheriff recognized her contributions to the community and sought her out personally. He asked her to join his team and be a liaison between the community and law enforcement.

Helen joined the force in 2016 as a Human Trafficking Coordinator. She has worked as a Sex Offender Registry Investigator for the last two years, overseeing around 800 sex offenders. By furthering her education, Helen is learning how to effectively educate law enforcement and civilians on how to support victims of human trafficking and their families. She says that her career in law enforcement has provided her with a great platform to promote the need for social justice for victims.

Jonathan Ikponmwosa Agho

Jonathan Ikponmwosa Agho of Columbia South Carolina began studying Political Science & Sociology at Clemson University this fall. Jonathan was born in Nigeria, and he said that seeing law enforcement being under-funded and corrupt within the country made him thankful to leave and eager to use his opportunities in the United States to give back to others. His family moved here when he was 8.

Jonathan is eager to use his career in law enforcement to become a role model for other black males. He told us: “I have seen how law enforcement can help people, and I have seen how law enforcement may also fail people.” Because of these observations, he is motivated to create positive change in the field and help people get out of difficult situations.

The application period for the 2022 Leadership in Law Enforcement Scholarships is now open. Applications will be accepted through April 1, 2022.