Some weapons don’t need a holster. When Hopkinsville Police Officer Julius Catlett looks a 13-year-old in the eye and tells him that he’s about to call home to grandma, the student can suddenly transform into an angel.     

“Grandma is better than a taser on my hip,” Catlett says through a grin.

Students at North Drive Middle School respond well to his methods, because they know he really is on a first name basis with their grandmothers, grandfathers, mothers and fathers. Catlett is a Hopkinsville native and an 18-year veteran of local law enforcement. Last year, he became one of HPD’s four school resource officers. 

When you police your own hometown, Catlett says, one of the first lessons you learn is how to reconcile personal relationships with your sworn duty to public safety.

“It’s hard to be the guy who is talking to you like an old friend one minute and then drawing my weapon the next,” Catlett says.

This delicate balance is achieved through daily doses of humility and readiness. Every time Catlett is about to begin a shift, he says a prayer.  Then he hops in his cruiser, flips on the radio and announces, “Four-fifty is ten-eight.”

The first number is Catlett’s badge. The second is code for “I’m on-duty.”

Catlett says this as much to himself as to the dispatcher. It’s a personal reminder to be ready for anything. He and his fellow officers carry the anticipation of life-and-death moments into every work day.

“Cops have a lot on their plate,” Catlett says. “When they put on a bullet-proof vest at home, their kids see that.”

That is not to say Catlett is uptight all the time. In fact, most the time he meets someone – even in uniform – he prefers to be called “Poo.”

“Poo, my man! What you been up to?”

“Who were you rooting for during the Monday night game, Poo?”

“Take care now, Poo.”

Catlett doesn’t feel dissed. Not in the least. He has always been Poo to Hopkinsville folk. The nickname dates back to childhood. As he got older and began his law enforcement career, Catlett held onto it because it represented his personal attachment to the community.

“(The nickname) keeps me humble,” Catlett said. “It keeps the power that a police officer has from going to my head.”

Community relations is a slice of the whole police pie. Catlett says some officers are good at catching drunk drivers and others at detective work, but he excels at building relationships.

Paul Ray, a veteran of the force, says he was always impressed watching Catlett’s people skills in action. Time and time again, Ray saw Catlett’s fairness win someone over.  

“No matter who you are, if Julius Catlett is dealing with you in a “police-type situation”, I can promise you that you’ll be treated fairly,” Ray said.

Catlett’s character is well established with the public too. When he moved into a neighborhood where he had made drug busts, he worried that revenge-seekers would vandalize his property. Not only did no one touch his car or house, but members of the neighborhood would surrender themselves at his doorstep. If someone had a warrant out for their arrest, they often preferred Catlett to be the one to take them into custody.

As flattering as this was, Catlett feels a constant tension between his dual responsibilities.

“I must play both roles,” Catlett said. “I have to be Poo and 450.”

His newest assignment as a school resource officer alleviates some of that stress. The job is to provide security, support academic achievement and serve as a liaison between the department and the families of NDMS. Poo gets to spend his days around busy teenagers.

Naturally, students aren’t permitted to call him “Poo.” (that’s Officer Catlett to you, little Johnny). But they can walk into his office almost any time of day.

“I have an open door policy,” Catlett says.

Most topics of discussion are welcome:  bullying, a tough class or curiosities with law enforcement. Catlett wants students to see police as a role models and more than just authority figures.

Through NDMS cooperation with the City of Hopkinsville in the Partners in Education program, Catlett plans to pilot an Explorers club at the school. The club is designed to allow young people to explore the law enforcement career.

NDMS Principal Kelly Gates said she noticed Catlett’s willingness and ability to get to know students and their families on many occasions.

“Officer Catlett visits homes all the time,” Gates said. “When he sniffs out a need (from observing or talking to a student), he’ll go to the house and attempt to get parents and schools to work together toward a student’s well-being and achievement.”

Catlett says visiting is well worth the effort. It prevents little problems from becoming big problems. It builds understanding between people who share a common goal.

But it also means that when he tells students who are misbehaving or underachieving that it’s time to call grandma, they don’t call his bluff.