Mr . Corey Pegues
1 . Let me start off by saying that we are honored to have you . How are things with you these days ?
Things are going great for me right now . Since releasing the book in May , I have been super busy promoting it all over the country
2 . From reading your bio , you have a very decorated career , from military to going through the ranks of the NYPD . If you had to pick an accomplishment that stands out the most which would you pick and why ?
Obviously , the biggest accomplishment besides having my kids is changing my life from a life of crime to becoming a successful law abiding citizen . Far too many times society writes off urban area kids like me who have made mistakes . There seems to be this belief that “ once a criminal , always a criminal ”. However , what most people don ’ t realize is that the overwhelming majority of kids who commit crimes or make bad choices would love to do something different but are not always afforded the opportunites so , they end up getting involved in crime
3 . You served your country … and we truly thank you for doing so . What part did your military background play in you going into law enforcement ?
To be honest , the military did not really play a role in me going into policing other than giving me a clear picture of where the power is in a para-military organization such as the NYPD . In my book , I explained that I was inspired / motivated to become a cop by this officer who was assigned to my high school . He was my sole inspiration on becoming a police officer . He would talk to me everyday and encourage me to leave the streets and join the police force .
4 . You are a member of one the biggest and most known police departments that this country has to offer . I ’ m sure that you have seen a lot being in law enforcement . How challenging has it been to deal with the hardships of doing your job to best of your ability ?
Actually , police work was very easy for me and not too challenging to say the least . For the majority of my career I was assigned to areas which were very similar to areas that I was raised in . I immediately understood the people , culture and social economic issues that the citizens were dealing with so the transition was much smoother for me than others . The only hardships / challenges that I had was working for superiors who did not understand or have a clue on how to police in a black community .