Former Special Constable Conroy Reid (right) enjoys a meal with batchmates during training in 2005. - Contributed photos

Andrea Downer, Features Writer

One of her three sons was shot and killed by gunmen in October last year. According to Claudette Reid, she tried her best, but could not get her son to change his mind about joining the police force. At age 20, he shelved his dream of becoming a meteorologist and a year later, he was murdered, after serving just one year in the police force.

"People see police as nothing, from the moment you turn police, everyone is against you," Ms. Reid said, as she outlined one of her reasons for trying to dissuade her son, Conroy Reid, from becoming a police officer. However, nothing she said could change his mind.

"Him say, 'Mommy, somebody have to do the dirty work, everybody can't be with you, some will have to be against you,'" she recalled, her voice rueful.

Her son, a former special constable, was stationed at Harman Barracks, near Vineyard Town. He was shot and killed by gunmen in Cumberland, Portmore, St. Catherine, late one evening while on duty. According to his mother, the police have not yet solved his murder.

None of the gunmen has been identified and no motive has been provided for his killing. When questioned, she seemed unwilling to talk about why he could have been killed.

Right now, she is preoccupied with the dilemma that her youngest son, who is just 14 years old, is also determined to become a policeman.

"No matter what me say, him determined," she stated in a matter-of-fact tone.

A family trend

Disclosing that her sons' stepfather is a police officer and has been in the Jamaica Constabulary Force for 22 years, she said her youngest son, who is still in high school, is determined that he has to carry on what he sees as a family trend.

She takes comfort from two things: She has few anxious moments about her common-law-husband's safety as she said with his experience, she knows he is able to take care of himself and she is convinced that her eldest son, who is 24, has absolutely no plans to join the force.

Ms. Reid said Conroy's mind was all set on forecasting the weather until he spent a month volunteering at the Central Village Police Station as part of an arrangement with his school, Jonathan Grant High, when he was in fourth form at the institution.

"He was head boy at his school and after he completed his volunteer work at the police station, he would not bother to be a meteorologist, but he wanted to be a police instead," she recalled.

Nine months after his death, she shook her head in an emphatic no, when asked if she felt that she could have done more to convince him not to become a policeman.

Her face shone with pride as she remembered her son, whom she said showed early signs that he was special.

"Him always getting positions in school, such as prefect, from him going basic school," she beamed.

"He was the best boy in the world - my prize boy!" she said with pride.

Former Special Constable Conroy Reid (second left) goofs around with some of his batchmates after a training session in 2005 while he was undergoing preliminary training to enter the police force.

Accepted the tragic turn

She regrets that he did not follow his original career goal but seems to have accepted the tragic turn of events.

"All the person who kill my pickney, if mi see him now, mi woulda tell him say mi forgive him and let him know that he should not kill anyone else. But I would forgive him! Maybe he would be surprised, but my son done dead already and him still have life," she reasoned.

She said many of the heartless killings that are taking place in Jamaica are due to the fact that children are growing up without learning how to love.

"Some kids grow without love. No one gave them hugs. Some people don't treat their children good so they do not have any soft spot inna dem heart for anyone," she continued. "If gunmen had love in their hearts, they would not go around killing people," she stated with conviction.

andrea.downer@gleanerjm.com