Murphy Meet Sara Taylor, one of the newest employees with the Murphy Police Department, who hopes to inspire more women to join the law enforcement field.
The Michigan native was born in 1989. After graduating from high school, Taylor worked in the family’s restaurant Good Fellas in McCaysville, Ga., running the kitchen.
Other early employment included work as a nurse technician at Fannin Regional Hospital in Blue Ridge, Ga. She is finishing up studies in criminal justice at Tri-County Community College in Peachtree.
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Taylor has previous experience in law enforcement, as she was an officer with the Georgia Department of Corrections in 2020. She quickly moved up to become officer in charge.
She recalled a tense situation when, “We were a little short-staffed on shift, and my sergeant was talking to an inmate in the hallway. I could tell by the inmate’s body language that things were going to escalate. The inmate swung on my sergeant, and it took four of us over three minutes to restrain this guy,” Taylor said.
Although she liked working in the prison, she chose to move to road patrol, as it would provide her with additional opportunities to advance in her career.
Taylor believes her personal experiences will make her a better law enforcement officer, as she can relate to others who may be involved in situations that she has survived. She especially has compassion and empathy for people who have suffered from domestic violence.
Once beaten at the hands of her drunk husband, Taylor refuses to be considered a victim.
“I was getting ready to go to my mom’s when he came up behind me and put me in a choke hold for about three minutes. He also slammed my head into the ground,” she said.
“He had choked me so hard it ruptured all the blood vessels in both of my eyes. It took three to five deputies from Fannin County to get him to the jail, and then they had to fight him in the jail.”
Taylor filed for divorce the day after the incident occurred in 2019.
“I was not going to give somebody the opportunity to hurt me again. Once you have the courage to step out of that situation, it’s a beautiful thing,” she said. “I had family and friends’ support. But even if someone doesn’t have that kind of support, there’s going to be somebody in the community that’s going to give you support.”
Taylor said the most tense police calls are assaults with men who are either on drugs or have been heavily drinking alcohol.
Her aspiration is to become a sergeant or a detective, realizing it will take time before that goal is reached. She previously lived in the Blue Ridge area for 20 years before relocating to Murphy in 2023.
Taylor believes working with the Murphy Police Department is a good fit for her. She was sworn in on June 24 by Mayor Tim Radford as her parents looked on.
About her new supervisors and working environment, she said “the guys are great, it’s like a brotherhood. They’re very encouraging. (Police Chief) Tim Lominac is a great leader, very professional, and he cares a lot about the community, which is nice to see.
“I hope to inspire school girls and females to be in the field. And for somebody who’s in a situation they need to get out of -– they can do it.”
When she’s not policing, Taylor said she enjoys fishing, horseback riding, hiking, kayaking and anything else outdoors.
The mother of one son also has a dog that she rescued from the Valley River Humane Society. She likes sunflowers, and her favorite color is red. And she has kept the faith through troubled times.
“Everything that I have been through has brought me closer to God,” Taylor said. “I have been blessed in many ways by putting my faith in the Lord.”