“Come up here Brandon. I know, you love this,” Councilman Brett Hales said. The officer reluctantly walked to the podium, smiling as he received his award.

 

Brandon Francis became an officer of the Murray Police Department in 2012. At the July 19 meeting of the Murray City Council, he received Employee of the Month honors for exemplary service to his community.

 

This is not the first time he has received recognition for his service. On more than one occasion, Brandon has been recognized within the department for his conduct as a Patrol Officer.

 

“He comes to work, he does a great job, he’s very professional. He represents the police department and city of Murray very well,” said Murray Police Chief Craig Burnett.

 

Francis serves as one of Murray’s Field Training Officers, responsible for helping new hires adjust through a 12- week program. Field Training Officers teach and evaluate new officers on what they’ve learned. It’s a strenuous process for both parties; there is a lot of information to take in.

 

During the ceremony, Burnett also announced that Francis would be working part time with the Salt Lake Metro Gang Unit.

 

“I’m looking forward to it, to talk to some of the guys and seeing a different side of law enforcement,” Francis said of the move.

 

It’s the next step in a career driven by a desire to help people. Before he joined the Murray Police Department, Francis was exploring options with the military. However, he quickly realized that this would not fit the needs of his new family. A career as a police officer offered a better balance.

 

Francis is thankful to able to come home every night and spend time with his wife and two sons. He dedicates his time off to his family, going as many games and events as he can. His family is supportive of him as well. They turned out in force on July 19 to watch him receive his award.

 

Francis said he was drawn to law enforcement on a professional level because it breaks up the day-to-day monotony of most jobs.

 

“It’s the type of job…where every day is different. There might be the same classification of calls, but every call is different.”

 

It’s also quite frequently a thankless job. All it takes is a glance through recent headlines to see that the bond between communities and law enforcement is generally strained.

 

“The events of the last few weeks have really driven home the importance of what these officers do, the things that they do, and the honorable people they are just going out and trying to make sure that the community we live in is safe,” Burnett said during his speech.

 

“We see people in their worst moments,” Francis said. He explained the necessity of respect on both sides in interactions between law enforcement and the community. “We’re all human. It boils down to treating everybody as a human being.”

 

Fortunately, the community of Murray has been a positive example of this.

 

“Murray’s been good to us. They’ve gone out of their way, they’ve written letters to show us their support…With all the negativity [out there], it’s nice to see that we have a relatively nice community,” Francis said.