Black History Month: Rochell Staten
JACKSON, Tenn. — Lt. Rochell Staten is the first Black female patrol lieutenant with the Jackson Police Department.
Staten is originally from Leeland, Mississippi. After some traveling, she decided to move to Tennessee to pursue her dreams.
She first began working at the Northwest Correctional Facility in Tiptonville. She accompanied a friend to take the Police Exam for moral support later on.
To her surprise, she ended up passing the exam and starting her law enforcement career.
“This was never in my career path,” Staten said.
Soon after passing her test, she started working at the Dyersburg Police Department as a patrol officer.
Over time, she moved to the Domestic Abuse Unit. Eventually she was recruited by the Jackson Police Department where she has remained for over 16 years now.
“I didn’t really know what to expect. You see all these movies and you go ‘Oh my gosh, I’m gonna have to fight everyday,’ but that wasn’t the case,” Staten said.
She says her hard work and good attitude has got her to where she needs to be.
“When I put on my uniform in the morning, I’m not thinking ‘I’m this Black female lieutenant.’ I’m just Lieutenant Staten,” she said.
Thinking back, Staten does not regret her decision to join the police department and thinks it was the right choice for her.
“You leave this job every night and you have done something good, no matter what you’re dealing with on this shift, at some point, you have done something good for somebody,” Staten said.
In addition to being the first Black female patrol lieutenant, Staten is also a professional bodybuilder in her free time.
She began bodybuilding in 2012 and now holds 15 different trophies and medals.
One of these includes her International Federation of Bodybuilding card, which she got in June of 2018 at the Team Universe Competition.
“I always tell people sometimes God puts you in the position where he wants you to be and not where you want to be, and I think that’s what he did with me,” Staten said.
