Wearing A Uniform With Pride

One regular day, police officer Donnell Chapman was on Clovercroft Road running radar. A car was rushing at about 60 mph in a 40 mph speed zone. He pulled the vehicle over. The driver was a 24-year-old African American female doing DoorDash. The officer talked to her and got back to his car. Suddenly, he felt a tug in his spirit, printed out the citation, and approached the lady again. When he asked what her story was, she started crying. She said that she works multiple jobs to support her grandmother. Chapman gave her some encouraging words, to which she said he made her day.

 For Donnell Chapman, the best part of being a police officer is the simple act of making someone’s day. His humility is what makes his role so rewarding. 

However, being a police officer was never in his imagination. Seeing many police misconducts, he used to think it would be the last thing he would ever do. In 2016, when his son was born, Chapman started thinking of having a stable career. As his son grew up, Chapman was surprised to see him highly fond of police officers. After talking to family and friends, he decided to go to the police academy. 

“The first day at the academy, they asked, “Why are you here?” I responded, “I don’t know why I’m here, but I do know my son loves Police Officers, so his dad will be his favorite. So far, I still hold the crown,” Chapman shared. 

“I have been working for the Nolensville Police Department for almost two years. I have been in law enforcement for five years.”

Born in a rough neighborhood in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, his parents’ youngest of seven kids, Chapman grew up watching street fights and crimes. He learned some valuable life lessons from seeing the sad stories of others, which made him a determined person. 

Chapman played football and studied karate in college. He is a second-degree black belt in Kempo-Goju, a blended martial art. Now, not only as a police officer but also as a kind human being, he is giving back to the community. 

“Most times, I wake up ready to go like a superhero. Because of who I am and what I represent as an African American in law enforcement,” he mentioned.

As a certified defensive tactics instructor, Chapman loves teaching people different techniques he learned as his passion. His martial arts background makes him feel blessed to have the opportunity to impact lives through the department positively. Chapman is also grateful for the support this community has been giving to Nolensville Police. 

“There isn’t a day on duty that I am not thanked for my services. They always help us as crime watchers, giving valuable information to detectives in some cases. Pretty much anything we need; we can depend on the town to come through for us.”