Before becoming a member of the Miami-Dade (Fla.) Police Department, Isabel McDonald spent her early career as a funeral director for 13 years.
During this time, McDonald carefully selected prayer cards that carried personal meanings for grieving families. This experience of providing comfort and support during times of profound loss laid the foundation for her future in law enforcement.
Now, with 24 years of law enforcement service under her belt, she is part of the K-9 unit assigned to the Seaport Operations Bureau, where she works alongside her canine partner to ensure port safety and security. Her extensive career also includes 22 years as a hostage negotiator, a role in the honor guard and significant contributions as a peer advocate within the department’s Psychological Services Bureau (PSB).
McDonald’s empathetic approach, shaped by her background in funeral service, allows her to connect deeply with the community and her fellow officers. Her compassion is evident not only in her professional interactions but also in her creative expression. McDonald penned her poem, “When I Don’t Come Home One Day” after Miami-Dade PD Officer Cesar Echaverry was killed in the line of duty in August 2022.
“It was then that I began searching for a poem or prayer that was distinct to a police officer. I wanted to help my police families the same way I used to help the families at the funeral home,” McDonald explained. “I wanted to find a poem or prayer that could capture what an officer would want their loved ones and colleagues to know. This would help bring them comfort in a time of pain. After long hours of searching, I could not find anything. I went home that night and began to write what I would want my loved ones to know. That is how I came up with this poem.”
Join us as we delve into McDonald’s journey into law enforcement, uncovering how her compassion, resilience and duty to serve started long before a badge was pinned onto her police uniform.
You have been an officer for 24 years. How has your role evolved over that time?
It has evolved so much. I have been able to do all the things I ever wanted to. I put in for negotiator in 2002, so I’ve been in that role for 22 years. I was still longing for that person I wanted my family to see first in a crisis and that’s exactly what happens in a negotiator scenario when you have a barricaded subject. So, I followed that path to becoming a hostage negotiator.
Then, I always thought about being a K-9 officer; I’m a big animal lover. I put in for different K-9 units throughout the department and ended up at the Seaport, where I’ve been for 19 years. I’m living the dream; I have the best partner anyone could ask for.
I also served in the honor guard, which brought me back to paying respect to those who were killed in the line of duty, those who paid the ultimate sacrifice. That experience brought me back to my roots. Now, I’m part of the peer support team through our PSB, where I minister to officers in crisis. It all ties back to what molded me before coming into law enforcement.
Tell me more about your K-9 and Seaport team.
At the seaport, there are five of us, including the sergeant, and we all have explosive dogs. They’re all bomb search dogs. Bentley, my dog, has a different specialty – he can track a suicide bomber. I’ve had him for eight years. He’s a very good people-person, not aggressive and very social. Bentley is a sweet German Shepherd, but he looks like a wolf, so people are often scared until they meet him. Once they get past that, children often come up to us to take pictures with Bentley.
We spend our time walking through the crowds at the Port, having conversations with people. We also work the concerts at Hard Rock Stadium and all the football games. Again, it’s the same interaction – just walking among the crowd. Usually, one of the SWAT team members backs me up, just in case I ever have to do anything with an individual that my dog shows interest in.
What does a typical day look like for you as a K-9 officer assigned to the Seaport?
At the seaport, our mornings start by preparing for the arrival of incoming ships. We share responsibilities across the nine terminals. As the largest seaport in the United States, security is our top priority. We are diligent about identifying anything out of place.
We have a highly effective team of officers who will quickly identify unattended vehicles, bags or other items. Most of the time, unattended luggage, backpacks or similar items are simply because people are so excited to get on the ship. They jump out of the taxi or Uber, throw their stuff down, and think they’ve picked everything up, but they haven’t.
We make sure that nothing is out of place – no vehicles that shouldn’t be there, no packages, and no unusual-looking items that could be inside a garbage can or planters. Anything out of place is what we’re searching for.
Each morning, we determine which terminals will be active and conduct perimeter sweeps to ensure nothing is out of place. After these sweeps, we handle paperwork and might use training aids for our dogs. The dogs receive their toys only when they successfully find training items, which keeps them motivated.
We walk from terminal to terminal, ensuring everything is safe and secure. This is a significant responsibility, especially considering the size and volume of traffic at the port.
What does that traffic look like – for someone unfamiliar with the Port?
The Port of Miami hosts some of the largest ships in the world, including the Icon of the Seas, which carries nearly 8,000 passengers, not including crew members. This brings the total to almost 9,000 people at one terminal alone.
On days when four or five ships arrive, the total number of passengers can easily reach 30,000, with about 60,000 people moving around the two-mile island daily. It’s comparable to the capacity of a football stadium. Managing this level of traffic is a major responsibility, but we handle it efficiently every day.
Earlier, you mentioned your role in peer support at the department. Can you explain what that looks like?
We are a group selected to respond to situations or calls where our PBS feels there could be a later trigger for post-traumatic stress disorder. In the past, the old mentality was to “get over it,” “suck it up” and “get used to it.” However, things have evolved significantly in the last 10 years. Now, when there’s a call that meets certain criteria – whether it’s a double homicide, a homicide involving a child, a child drowning or a car accident with multiple victims – we focus on those first responding officers. These officers might be very senior or fresh out of the academy on their first day of police work. We’re here to make sure they’re OK.
As officers with years of experience, we understand there are some calls you never forget. It’s essential to talk about these experiences because we serve as the first line of communication. It’s challenging to keep these feelings bottled up, especially when officers go home to their families. They may not want to share with their spouse, loved ones or children that they encountered something traumatic.
That’s why we’re there – to provide that layer of support. They know they can communicate with us, and anything they tell us is confidential, protected by statute, and cannot be used in court or by any supervisor.
We’re the first faces they see, offering ongoing support beyond just the incident. We provide our names, phone numbers, and even introduced an app early last year where they can connect with us, see our backgrounds and reach out if they need someone to talk to. If they need additional resources, we have a list available.
We’re very fortunate to have a unique PSB, where we have therapists and clinicians who have studied police psychology and understand the unique challenges of law enforcement. They assist us, especially during callouts involving a barricaded subject, by providing guidance on medications, the state of mind of the person involved and the effects of mixing substances like alcohol with certain medications. This support is invaluable.
We try to be resilient, but eventually, it catches up. As rescuers, we don’t take being rescued very well. When we started this program, it was about us being the boots on the ground, making officers feel more comfortable.
And is your work with peer advocacy the reason why you started writing poems?
Yes, but I’m not a poet. Two years ago, one of our officers was killed in the line of duty. As peers, we reported to the hospital immediately, attended various roll calls throughout that week, and spoke to everyone in the department. I remembered my days in the funeral home, where we would hand out prayer cards. I was trying to find a prayer that I could turn into a card, and as we provided peer support and talked with fellow officers, I kept thinking about what prayer or poem I could use.
We have people of varying levels of religious belief, so I wanted something that wasn’t too religious or gender specific. But I couldn’t find anything that conveyed the meaning I wanted – that they had done enough.
So, on my way home that night, I thought about exactly what I wanted to say. As soon as I got home, I wrote everything down. It took about a week to tweak it. I wanted the poem to be read as if the fallen officer was speaking to their family, friends and children.
What response did you get from others after they read the poem?
Everyone loved it. They said, “This is exactly what we wanted to hear.” In both the funeral home profession and in law enforcement, people inevitably ask themselves the same questions: “Did I do enough? Did I say enough? Did I love that person enough? Were they proud of me as their child?” Unfortunately, you never get answers to those questions, especially in our line of work, where we don’t know when we might pay the ultimate sacrifice. By putting all of that down in writing, everyone told me I had hit the nail on the head.
Two years ago, when this poem was first shared, I read it at our memorial breakfast. This breakfast takes place two days before our official Police Week memorial in May. It’s a small, intimate gathering with family members. It includes prayers and songs, almost like a small service. I read the poem there for the first time and one family in particular told me, “You said exactly what I’ve been wanting to hear for five years.” The officer was a young woman who had been killed in a car accident on her way to work. When she said that to me, I knew I had accomplished exactly what I set out to do with this poem.
The same thing happened this year when I read it at our department’s Police Week memorial. Three families approached me afterward and one mother said, “If my son were alive today, this is exactly what he would tell me.” That’s what makes all the difference in the world.
Some people will ask, “How did you go from such an extreme of funeral service work to police work,” but when you think about it, it parallels because you come into people’s lives at a time of crisis, right?
Exactly. Funeral directors never have people come by to say, “Hey guys, you work so hard, here’s a cup of coffee, here’s something to eat, you did a great job, here are some flowers, have a nice day.” It’s not like that at all. Every family you take care of either already comes in with their guard up, thinking you’re going to sell them something they don’t need, or they’re in crisis. It could be a young person who passed away or a patriarch/matriarch of the family. Most of the time, they were difficult cases and you bond with those families in those hours. You make the arrangements and it’s something you continue with them because we had that level of continuity.
Finally, for women considering a career in law enforcement – and also for current female officers who may be hesitant to make a move in the department or put in for a promotion – what advice would you give to them?
First, follow your dreams. You can do anything you set your mind to. Our department offers a variety of units and opportunities. Female officers bring different strengths to the table and are often seen as more approachable. Step out of your comfort zone; it’s the best decision you can make in your career.
Second, change is always scary, but sometimes stepping out of your comfort zone is the best decision you can make. I had mentors who pushed me to keep pushing doors open. Change can lead to amazing opportunities.
NEXT: In many law enforcement specialty units, inadequate budgets leave the individual unit members responsible for buying the proper tools to help make their unit successful. In light of this reality, we sat down with Police1 columnist Jarrett Morris to come up with eight essential pieces of equipment for a K-9 handler:
