A day in the life: Abilene Police Officer

Editor's note: This the third story in the Abilene Reporter News' series "A Day in the Life," in which we shadow local law enforcement, public figures and other people of note to catch a glimpse of all that they do for the community every day.

It was dark out, with the occasional streetlamp providing a dim light on the wet pavement. Reporter-News was recently picked up for a ride-along with Officer Kimberly Salazar of the Abilene Police Department. About four minutes into the shift, a call came out from dispatch about a disturbance in a nearby apartment complex.

As Officer Salazar drove towards the complex, she unbuckled her seatbelt in anticipation. As soon as the car was in park, she took off quickly in the direction of the call.

Officer Sonny Johnson joined as backup as they quietly weaved their way up the outdoor cement stairs towards the apartment. To the right of the apartment was an unlit hallway, and the air was tense as the officers approached the front door.

Johnson promptly knocked on the door with no immediate answer. He then banged loudly on the door and shouted "Police!"

The woman inside the apartment opened the door slightly and explained that someone had been knocking on her door while threatening to kill her. The officers quickly scanned the complex, seeing nothing but a stray cat walking around the front lawn.

Both officers assured the woman that they would check the complex for her and reminded her to call the police again if there was another disturbance.

As the officers made their way down the nearby unlit stairs, they turned on their shoulder flashlights and were constantly scanning for any signs of movement. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, but this was just the beginning of the evening shift on a Friday night in Abilene.

First-generation American with big dreams

Officer Kimberly Salazar has been a police officer since 2020, but her dream goes back much further than that. She is the daughter of two immigrants, with her mother being from Mexico and her father from El Salvador. They originally moved to Chicago but settled later in Abilene, and Salazar has been here ever since.

As a third-grade student in Abilene, she attended the annual Safety City field trip. On that fateful day, she sat in a police car, and there discovered her desire to become a law enforcement officer ever since.

At just 24 years old, Salazar became a member of the "COVID class" at the Abilene Police Department but even that could not deter her from completing her dream. She is now a current patrol officer, who works the evening shift four days a week and describes herself as having a serious "passion for policing."

In an interview with Reporter-News, she said that she does this tough work for her young son at home. She wants to keep Abilene safe for him and for all children across the city. She also hopes that she can respond to citizens who are having a tough day, and simply "fix it."

More: "A day in the life" series puts readers beside first responders, others. Links to installments here.

Two Abilenes

At any given time, there are an average of 18 patrol police officers on call in Abilene. The police department has split the city into nine districts or "beats" with two to three officers assigned to each district. Their busiest shift is a Friday or Saturday night mid shift, which ranges from 2 p.m. -midnight.

Reporter-News witnessed calls coming through dispatch every 5-10 minutes throughout the entire evening shift. Salazar noted that the department sees everything from domestic disturbances to overdose calls to traffic accidents, just about every week here in Abilene.

She remarked, however, that there are two distinct Abilenes: daytime Abilene and Abilene after dark, which is "the stuff that you don't see or hear all the time on the news." Those are the calls that are her bread and butter every Friday and Saturday night.

Salazar has seen it all; from finding a threatening suspect armed with a machete to chasing down suspects to responding to alcohol-related car crashes or to assisting with drug overdoses.

Reporter-News witnessed several stops with Officers Salazar and Johnson. In one stop, a home alarm system had been triggered, and both officers searched the entire property to make sure nothing was amiss. Salazar even called the homeowner, who was not present, to reassure her that the property was safe and sound and checked by police.

Additionally, the officers responded to a routine traffic stop which took a different turn. Salazar noted that when she initially pulled over the vehicle, she detected a drug odor. This gave her probable cause to search the occupants of the vehicle and the vehicle itself.

Officer Johnson assisted with the search of the occupants and did so in a respectful and calm manner. Reporter-News witnessed Salazar inspect the vehicle carefully, making sure to put the objects back where she had found them.

No drugs were found in this case, but Salazar made sure to carefully explain every step of the process and even leave the occupants laughing after the traffic stop.

According to Salazar, her days are "never boring and never the same."

'Those that thank us, makes it worth it'

Officer Salazar recounted a particularly memorable night in which she was called to evict some residents from a local motel. When she arrived on scene, she saw a family of four being evicted and also detected a drug odor emanating from the complex.

She felt for the two young children involved in this unfortunate situation and talked with them about the upcoming holidays to distract them. The young girl talked constantly about a Barbie doll that she had wanted for Christmas, and Salazar made sure to make that happen.

Several days later, Salazar arrived at the family's new residence to present the little girl with her desired doll and the young boy with a dinosaur. Salazar recalled with a beautiful smile that like that family, "those who thank us, make it worth it."

She said she hoped that "being able to impact a child's life" could make a difference in preventing future issues with the police. She sadly recounted a different story about a runaway teenager, in which she reflected that if police had encountered her in a positive way earlier it could have been prevented.

After catching the runaway, Salazar told the teenager, "I don't know your story, but I am willing to listen." This small interaction sums up Salazar's character as a current patrol officer. She is extremely conscientious of others and of her interactions with them.

She takes her job very seriously but doesn't forget to smile, knowing that some citizens of Abilene are having a truly rough day. Overall, Salazar is an extremely hard worker who exudes passion for her career and for those she has sworn to protect.

This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: A day in the life: Abilene Police Officer