BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - It’s a big day for Madalynn Jarreau. She’s one of the newest deputies for the East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Department. But she says her graduating from the training academy isn’t just happenstance, it’s her purpose.
“I’m a firm believer in coincidences don’t exist. It’s God, and every little thing has been Him,” Madalynn said.
Madalynn’s parents are first responders, but an incident that happened when she was just five years old is what really set her on this path.
Back in 2005, Baton Rouge Police Department Detective Terry Melancon Jr. was shot and killed in the line of duty while serving a search warrant at a home in Capital Heights.
“He always did say, ‘What’s your purpose?’ He told the person he arrested, ‘What’s your purpose?’” Terry’s mother, Vicki Melancon, said.
Vicki remembers the day the city honored the ultimate sacrifice Terry made.
“We didn’t realize that there would be lines of people on the side of the road, and it just took us off guard, and we looked in awe,” Vicki said. “There were just so many people.”
One of the youngest standing on the block was Madalynn.
“‘Let’s make a sign, you know, what do you want your sign to say?’ And I was like well, ‘Thank you, Mr. Policeman,’” Madalynn explained. “She was like, ‘Okay, great,’ so she wrote it on the poster board, and a little bit of what I remember is standing out there in the heat holding my sign.”
“When we passed, she held up this big sign, and she was happy, and her mom was just jumping and waving. And I just thought, this is a celebration too. This is a celebration of his life,” Vicki recalled. “And that thread has, for the past 18 years, just permeated between our two families.”
“Vicki and Mr. Terry have been there for the big events in my life,” Madalynn said. “You know, I graduated college, they were there. I got engaged, she was actually there the night I got engaged. I graduated from LSU, everyone decorated their caps. Mine had a thin blue line that read, ‘What’s your purpose?’ with Terry’s call sign. I gave it to her, which totally took her by surprise, but I mean, that was another no-brainer,” Madalynn added.
After Madalynn graduated from LSU, she says she couldn’t ignore the call to follow in Terry’s footsteps.
“That’s my purpose,” Madalynn said. “He’s the reason why law enforcement for me.”
“She’s carrying on what Terry left behind. She’s carrying that on, and that is such an honor,” Vicki said.
On Tuesday, Jan. 9, Madalynn graduates from the Capital Area Regional Training Academy to start her career in law enforcement. She knew Vicki wouldn’t be the only one there cheering her on.
“When we got the final details on our graduation, I texted her and said, ‘Here’s all the details you know I’d love for you to be there,’ and she was like ‘Absolutely, of course,’” Madalynn recalled. “And I said ‘January 9th, 10 a.m.,’ and all she replied was ‘Terry’s birthday,’ and I think I replied with, ‘You know, another sign.’
“Well, actually, you replied ‘Well, I knew he’d be there,’” Vicki responded.
Now, as she puts on her uniform, Madalynn keeps Terry closest to her as she goes out to serve the community he once served.
“Although I am working with a different agency, it’s a brotherhood, it’s a sisterhood, and it doesn’t matter who you work for — we’re all one,” Madalynn said.
“He’d be just like your big brother, and that would be kind of funny… he’s very protective, but he would also make sure you were guided in the right way,” Vicki said of Terry.
“It’s crazy how we became family but, you know, I wouldn’t change it for the world,” said Madalynn continued.
“Oh no, same here,” Vicki said.
“I think God and Terry knew exactly what they were doing,” Madalynn said.
Vicki replied, “Oh yeah, absolutely. I’m proud of you. I will never stop praying for you, and I love you more than anything.”
Just about all of us have asked for a sign at some time or another, and those signs can come from up above, or even appear on the ground in the hands of a five-year-old.
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The Link LonkJanuary 10, 2024 at 06:16AM
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‘Thank you, Mr. Policeman’: Little girl honors fallen hero, continues his legacy as her purpose - WAFB
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