Sgt Cooper's Arresting Development

Before he left to go on medical leave, Sgt. Cooper had a guest speaker for his Criminal Justice students.

“So what?” you may ask.

However, what is most interesting about this guest speaker, Cedric Mays, is that Sgt. Cooper arrested Mays over 30 years ago.

“I met Mr. Mays in 1988 when I went undercover and purchased narcotics from him several times,” Sgt. Cooper begins. “I eventually secured a search for his house several times and never found narcotics. The final time, I arrested his female companion and convinced her to help set him up. Since I wore a mask during the warrants he didn’t know how I looked. I was able get a search warrant when he received a shipment. This secured an arrest for him.”

"What I remember was a good man who kept on asking 'Why are you doing this?'", says now-Pastor Cedric Mays of Sgt. Cooper.

Mays ended up in prison for two years, got out, and went back to his old ways. Arrested again, Mays was now looking at a 30-year prison term. However, because of a technicality, he got off and did not serve a single day.

"I wasn't lucky, I was blessed," says Mays. "Off and on, I spent time in prison 25 different times. My 26th time was the two-year term. My 27th time was going to be the 30-year prison term.

"After that 27th time it was like I heard that Motel 6 commercial, you know the one that says, 'We'll leave the light on for you.' Well, that was me, I finally saw a light," says Mays. "I had gone to Bethune Cookman, had a shot of playing in the NBA, and then blew it all on drugs."

Instead of a 30-year prison term, Mays went to Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous. All through these days, Sergeant Cooper kept in touch with him.

Sgt. Cooper explains how he and Pastor Mays met again under most unusual circumstances.

“We met many years later at Palm Beach Atlantic University when we were getting our degree in Theology,” he says. “We established a friendship and also attended night college together.”

"And I was so blessed to be hired by the State of Florida as a Therapist," says Pastor Mays.

Sgt. Cooper has had a distinguished career as a police officer and law enforcement official.

“I was assigned to the dignitary protect unit. I am proud to say I met every sitting president while working at the police station. I served on their local escort teams,” he beams with pride.

Sgt. Cooper ended his extraordinary career when in 2006 and 2007, he was named Officer of the Year in Palm Beach County. Then, in 2008, Sgt. Cooper was named Officer of the Year for the State of Florida.

At Sgt. Cooper's retirement, it was Pastor Cedric Mays who was the Keynote Speaker.

When he spoke to the Criminal Justice students, Pastor Mays told the students, "The choices that you make will either have a positive or negative effect on your path in life. I am living the 'American recovery dream'. I am blessed to be the light for people who want to overcome the darkness of their addictions."