Coach, Chief, friend: The incredible public service journey of Randy Jordan
Coach, Chief, friend: The incredible public service journey of Randy Jordan
Between the hardwood and the streets of North Newton, Randy Jordan is one of Harvey County's most beloved assets.
From helping young women who’ve experienced physical and sexual abuse to coaching the girls basketball team at Newton High School to a state championship — and doing it simultaneously — North Newton Police Chief Randy Jordan is unlike any other public servant.
He’s special.
Earlier this month, Chief Jordan and I had an intense conversation about his experiences with work and how he started his path to become a police officer. He describes himself as a “really religious person” who has a “strong belief in Christ.”
“I think everybody has an assignment in life given by God,” he said. “I followed mine.”
In 20 years with the Newton Police Department, Jordan investigated crimes against children, primarily abuse cases against young women. He saw it as a task given by God to bring justice for these women. He worked in lots of different areas — from patrol to Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) — and spent plenty of time at school, teaching lessons or providing curriculums on the dangers of drugs.
After getting a promotion to assistant street supervisor and becoming a part of the school‘s resource officers program and a forensic interviewer, Jordan spent nine years with Newton High School before retiring from Newton PD. Then, he became — through the help from a friend who was working with the Harvey County Sheriff at the time — the chief of North Newton PD.
While discussing Jordan’s past, one thing that really got my attention was his time coaching the girls basketball team at Newton High School. “I think giving back to the community is important and by coaching I was able to do that,” he said. Splitting his life into two, he fulfilled his roles as the Chief and the coach of a successful athletic program. In 2006, the Railers won the 5A state title under his leadership, compiling a record of 23-2.
For him and his family, basketball is and was a huge part of their lives. His coaching experience began as an assistant coach at Newton, and after the resignation of the head coach, he had interest in taking over the position. The journey to get to this position wasn’t easy for him, due to the fact that he felt he didn’t have the Athletic Director at the time’s support.
“I prayed a lot because I really wanted to be the coach,” Jordan said. “Then, the superintendent called me and told me that I got the job.”
During his time steering the ship of Newton girls basketball, Jordan says that although he taught the girls a lot, they taught him plenty as well. Teamwork was always a priority for him as a coach. When speaking on practice, Jordan explained the difference between responding and reacting during a game, which he would hammer home to his players: “Reacting is an emotional response, while responding is more thoughtful and focused. That’s why I wanted them to respond.
I also emphasized to them how teamwork only works when we’re not selfish. We’re a team — everybody is depending on everybody.”
When the subject of the conclusion of his coaching career is mentioned, the Chief again refers to God. He always felt as though it would, and should, come to an end. And during hard times in his life, Jordan felt disconnected to the team. Instead of simply walking away without reason, he accepted these feelings as a sign to end his journey as a coach.
As with any other job, being a police officer can be really difficult at times. One of the biggest crime stories in Harvey County (or even in Kansas) was taken over by Chief Jordan: the case commonly known as the child torture case.
When reflecting on the child torture case, Jordan describes it as “a dark time. I prayed a lot for God to give me strength. I went to law school and experienced a lot of crimes, but none of them were like this.” During that time, Chief was more than happy to have his basketball team. Practice was always — but especially during that time — an opportunity for him to escape from the inner stress and find peace.
Jordan said he was blessed with a powerful team of young women who gave him the strength he needed. “I suffered with a lot of nightmares,” he explained. “But I took it as an assignment by God and I knew he would help me through it.”
Finally, Jordan left me with a piece of advice for people who are considering joining the police force:
“A job shouldn’t be taken as a job — it should be taken as fun,” Jordan said. “Everybody should be ready to be a servant for people [before] trying to be any kind of authority.” The Chief also emphasizes that his connection to God is always assisting him.
Through God, he says, he gets the strength that he needs in his life as a police officer… and so much more.