Family Ties

Although he has only been a Nicholasville police officer since 2016, Zachery Travis has been around the department for most of his life.

Travis' dad, Brian, worked for NPD, retiring as a narcotics detective in 2009. Not surprisingly, his father inspired Travis.

"My dad has always been one of my role models along with my late grandfather being the other," Travis said. "The way I was raised just helped me become a better police officer. I feel like I was raised to be a police officer in away. To be a great police officer, you have to be a good person, and he taught me the same values that he lives by every day. By the end of my career, if I'm half the person he is, I'll be a happy man."

Travis worked many jobs before becoming a police officer, but he said they were just something to draw a paycheck.

"Every path I took before applying to the Nicholasville Police Department wasn't making me feel accomplished or interested," Travis explained. "I knew around the time I became eligible, I would apply to the Nicholasville Police Department. I then worked at Northpoint Training Center (a state prison in Mercer County) for a year and a half until I received the NPD call."

Today, Travis is patrolling the streets of Nicholasville and making his mark on the central Kentucky city of nearly 31,000 residents.

NPD officers work four 10-hour shifts, and like many departments, there is no shortage of calls.

“We handle everything you could possibly imagine, including traffic stops, robberies, domestics, drug-related calls, collisions, thefts from vehicles, unwanted subjects and much more.”

Career Goals

Travis currently makes his living working nights, and that suits him just fine.

“I love night shift,” he exclaimed. “It's by far, my favorite shift to work because of the types of calls and very little traffic to deal with. Also, you have a lot of drug activity at night, which I like getting off the streets.”

Like his father, Travis gravitates toward policing the drug scene as he has seen first-hand how it affects the community.

“When I first started working at the Nicholasville Police Department, there was at least a heroin overdose every other day,” Travis explained. “The overdose count has gone down since then, with an increase in methamphetamine use in recent years.”

While all aspects of policing appeals to Travis, he plans to work in NPD’s drug unit.

“My long-term goals are to retire from Nicholasville Police Department as a detective or supervisor in the Drug Enforcement Unit,” he said. “I love running traffic and other calls, but it's not my favorite thing to do. I enjoy being involved in drug-related calls or traffic stops.”

(Photo by Jim Robertson)

Attitude Toward Policing

No matter if Travis is patrolling in his cruiser, making an arrest, or working a community service event, his approach to policing is one of respect.

“My approach to policing is to be respectful and nice until they force me not to be,” he said. “Modern policing is community-oriented. The positive impact it makes on children is important for their future. They grow up knowing that law enforcement is their friend and not foe, instead of the opposite.”

Like many officers, Travis has a special place in his heart for helping children.

A favorite event of mine is when we put on Shop with a Cop at the local Walmart,” Travis said. “We walk around with kids that get to spend $150 on whatever they want for Christmas. Helping the kids pick out toys or clothes and seeing their faces makes the late calls, horrible incidents you deal with, and pay worth it.”

Challenges and Opportunities

Law enforcement agencies face many challenges every day, and Nicholasville is no different, Travis said.

“One challenge that every police officer goes through is dealing with abused or neglected children, but that's why we are here to help them,” Travis explained. “A smaller issue is the extreme growth in Nicholasville's population. New roads are opening up every day, and with that comes businesses and houses. We are waiting for our new headquarters to be built and ready in 2021, so we are working in a building that is far too small for our department size.”

Given the scope of challenges, NPD does a fantastic job of providing its officers with proper training and growth opportunities, Travis said.

“There are many opportunities at NPD, including supervision and numerous specialized units, which NPD pays for out-of-state/in-state training and seminars,” Travis explained.

Those opportunities have Travis excited about the future.

“On-the-job training is permitted at NPD, which I have taken advantage of learning the Drug Enforcement Unit duties and procedures on a higher level by working with them,” he said. “NPD has a very open-minded command staff that will allow you to shine and advance in your career if it meets the guidelines of cost-effectiveness and beneficial to the community. The opportunities are endless at NPD if you have a good work ethic and attitude with a willingness to better yourself and the community.”

Having a passion for police, coupled with high-level training and opportunities, has been essential in Travis’ development as an NPD officer.

In the end, policing comes down to making a positive impact in the lives of the residents of Nicholasville, he said.

“I just want to be a great officer and make a difference, like why everyone gets into law enforcement,” Travis explained. “My dad always reminds me that a call is just a call for us police officers, but that person who calling is having the worst day of their life right now. They called you as their last option, and they need your help. I try to remember that on every call I go to and try to make their worst day, better.”