In law enforcement, it’s common to see children follow in their parents’ footsteps.
A child will watch in awe as their mother or father puts on their uniform, turning into their very own version of a superhero. And, in typical superhero fashion, a police officer dons their uniform and jumps into the car of every child’s dreams – one that lights up in different colors and makes loud noises.
But Kendra Snowden didn’t grow up idolizing her mother because she was in law enforcement – that was just a coincidence. Instead, she has always admired her mother’s work ethic, passion for people and commitment to community service.
Taking the same career path as her mother wasn’t a direct route for Snowden, but it ended up being exactly where she was supposed to be. As an adult, she realized it wasn’t about the uniform or the car – it was about serving and protecting the people in her community.
Choosing a career in law enforcement
Snowden, 27, the oldest of three and a longtime basketball athlete, attended Park University in Parkville, Missouri, in hopes of becoming an athletic trainer.
“It was not my intention to go into law enforcement,” Snowden said.
She ultimately changed her major to criminal justice after realizing many of the athletic training clinics interfered with her basketball practice.
“I thought to myself, ‘Oh, mom does it. She enjoys it. I’m just going to go for it.’”
She received her bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and landed a job with the TSA at an airport in Kansas City, Missouri. However, Snowden was missing the one thing that made her the most passionate about law enforcement: the ability to give back to the community.
She decided to go back home and started working with kids in a pro-youth program in Visalia, California. During that time, her mother, Deputy Angelica Torres, planted a seed about joining the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office youth development unit.
“That’s really what pushed me over – being able to work with kids,” Snowden said. “It’s a passion – it was where I was supposed to be.”
Snowden has now been with the sheriff’s office for three years. Torres, who began her career in probation, has been with the county for 20 years.
“Going into this field, I didn’t realize how much she had to sacrifice,” Snowden said. “She sacrificed time with us – her family – because of long hours. As a kid, I didn’t understand it. But now being in the field with her, I just really admire her.”
Growing up in a family as the only girl with two brothers, Snowden’s bond with her mother was already close. Now, it’s closer than ever. And, when they’re not on shift, they spend their downtime volunteering as coaches for the 6-Point Stars, a girls-only travel basketball team.
But the point they’re both at now – both personally and professionally – wasn’t an easy destination – especially for Torres, a single parent who has spent her career working to support her children.
Giving back to the community
Torres, the youngest of nine, didn’t see her parents very often when she was growing up.
“They were always working – they worked in the fields,” she said. “One of my brothers was like the father figure in my life. He really supported me with the activities that I did. He was always like, ‘OK, let’s go running. I’m going to get you ready for basketball.’”
However, Torres’ family always made it a priority to volunteer and give back to their community.
“My dad would always give back, even if it was just giving a watermelon or tomatoes to our neighbors,” Torres said. “I love helping people. It’s always better to give than to receive. We’re here for a reason and my reason is to serve.”
Giving back isn’t new for Snowden, either. She spent her childhood watching her mother make it a priority, despite the long hours she put in at work week after week.
https://www.facebook.com/TulareSheriff/videos/1172822393118206
“My mom has always been a great example of that,” Snowden said. “As I kid, I remember my mom saying, ‘We’re going to go help this person out’ or ‘You see those people on the corner? We’re going to get them some food and we’re going to go give it to them.’ Giving back has always been normal. It’s nothing out of the ordinary for us.”
It was that same reasoning that led Torres to working in probation. “I wanted to work with kids – that’s the reason why I went into that field,” she said.
Torres just recently went from transports back into the facilities, a move she says has her “getting her feet wet again.”
“There are times I’m like, ‘Kendra, how do you do this? How do you look this up?’ I was doing transport and wasn’t behind the desk all the time. So, she’ll text me saying, ‘OK, mom, this is what you do. This is where you go.’ It’s cool to have her there for me, too.”
Being there for her mom, Snowden says, is easy.
“I saw her last night and gave her three or four hugs, because she’s been working a lot of overtime. Her work ethic is out of this world. It’s cool to have that bond … to be able to talk about life, family and work. She’s not just my mom. She’s my best friend.”
And having that support has made all the difference in Snowden’s law enforcement career.
“I have confidence because I know that she supports me no matter what happens,” Snowden said.
In true motherhood fashion, though, Torres knew all along that Snowden had “the stuff.”
“I knew that she had that strong character,” Torres said. “I knew she could do it if she wanted to. It’s all about having family support, especially in law enforcement.”
That support and encouragement has given Snowden the confidence to flourish in a new, upcoming role: becoming a mother herself.
A servant’s heart
Snowden, who’s due in September with her first child, is “starting to plan everything.”
“I had her playing basketball since she was five,” Torres laughed. “I think we’re going to do the same with our grandkid.”
Now, whether Snowden’s first-born chooses an athletic path or policing career, is irrelevant. Instead, Snowden and Torres are both focused on raising a child with a servant’s heart.
“It’s not an easy field to go into,” Snowden said. “It has to be one that you choose. I still see it as a ‘get to’ now. I get to work this job. I get to work with my mom. I get to work with the youth. I get to work with the community.”
And just like her mom, Snowden wants to be the best role model she can be to her child. But she’s not focused on being a superhero – just a supermom.
“Kendra is self-driven, has a big heart and is very loving,” Torres said. “I’m here for my babies, even though they’re already all grown. I’m always here for them. I had a hard life and I wanted to make theirs better. I wanted them to know they could always lean on me.”
Superhero or not, one thing is for sure: this new addition to the family will idolize this one-of-a-kind mother-daughter deputy duo.
NEXT: ‘My No. 1 was being a mom': How a career in LE gave one Lt. the balance she needed as a mom
