The Observer Newspapers | Officer Gives Back to the Community In Which He Grew Up

June 27, 2008

Officer Gives Back to the Community In Which He Grew Up

The Town of Herndon police place a strong emphasis on community policing and their partnership with the community. In this series, The Observer will profile officers who both live and work in the Herndon community.

By Rebecca Plevin
Observer Staff Writer

When police officer J.J. Passmore started working for the Herndon Police Department 10 years ago, he was already familiar with the town streets. He also knew many town residents and some of them, he knew a little too well. Passmore, who grew up in Herndon, said it could be "kind of hard" to arrest his childhood acquaintances and high school football teammates.

Passmore, who attended Herndon Middle School and Herndon High School, served in the U.S. Army for three years and spent one year with the Fairfax County Sheriff's Office before returning to work in Herndon. Passmore has lived in town for the past three years, and he said Herndon is a "great place to come back to."

Passmore said he recognizes many Herndon residents from his childhood, but he also knows many of the young people growing up in the town today. Passmore began coaching Herndon Optimist Club football and basketball teams when he was in high school and returned to coaching in 1998. He coaches young athletes from the time they are 10 years old until they enter high school, and he said he enjoys "seeing the kids grow up." Coaching, he said, is "something that I love to do."

Coaching football is a major time commitment and Passmore said he coaches five two-hour practices a week from August until school starts, and then through November he coaches three two-hour practices each week and attends the team's weekly games. On top of that, he said he likes to do a "little extra" to loosen up his players before their games. On Friday nights, he said, he invites the team members to eat pizza at the police station and to watch a game film or a sports-themed movie like "Remember the Titans."

As a coach and a police officer, Passmore said he serves as a resource for both kids and parents in the community. He said he always encourages parents and players to come to him with problems and he also gains information from the kids. The police department also sees the value of having a police officer so connected to the town's youth; Passmore said the department is supportive of his coaching "because it's in the community."

When he is on duty, Passmore is committed to keeping Herndon's streets, drivers and pedestrians safe. For the past year, he has served as a motorcycle officer who is responsible for issues related to traffic enforcement. He said he always wanted to be a motorcycle officer because the job "has this certain thing about it" and earning the position was "one of the best things that ever happened to me here."

Passmore said he is particularly aggressive on drunk drivers. Drunk driving, he said, is "something I've always been against." He said people have "so many other options," like walking home or calling a friend, instead of driving after having a few drinks.

In those precious hours when he is not working or coaching, Passmore can probably be found on the basketball courts of Worldgate Sport and Health, challenging the same guys he played against as a teenager and competing against some of the players he once coached.