The fact that he carries a gun at City College is no secret.

He usually strolls around campus, but today he stands in the G parking lot, the parade of cars and people on Freeport Boulevard a sidewalk away. The crackling of his radio is carried by the strong breeze to blend with sounds of car horns and motors and blaring car stereos.

His short, dark mustache is nicely groomed and his police uniform looks perfectly crisp, with everything in place, including a name tag on the right side of his chest that reads “B. Washington.” Sgt. Brian Washington, who works for the Los Rios Police Department, deals with campus crime and lots of paperwork, but his likeable, caring personality and easygoing manner show that he doesn’t dwell on anything negative.

When Washington flashes his pearly whites, any sense of intimidation disappears. His smile exposes a playful gist. It is easy to become even more comfortable at the sound of his contagious laughter, which he reveals when joking about his age.

“I was born late,” he says, laughing. “No specifics. Late 30s, late 40s.”

Washington doesn’t look big and bad. He doesn’t tower over the average person, he doesn’t have a gruff voice, he doesn’t look like the Incredible Hulk. But none of that is necessary.

“He’s a cool person,” says Candace Jaime, who is a desk dispatcher at the Los Rios Police Department office. “He’s very easygoing. He’s just fun to work with in general.”

Washington easily carries on a conversation, but is always on alert. His eyes shift as he scans the area. He talks about how good it feels when he runs into former students who remember him doing positive things, like helping start a car on a rainy day or helping them around campus when they were lost. “I like helping people,” he says.

Washington started his career in law enforcement in 2000 when he began working for the Sacramento City Police Department. He later realized being a city police officer wasn’t for him.

“I don’t like dealing with domestic violence too much,” he says. “I don’t like taking people’s kids.”

He began working as a security officer on campus, liked the quiet, and worked his way through the ranks. But a quieter environment doesn’t mean a crimeless environment. Washington sees the same crimes on campus that he saw on the streets: assaults and batteries, robberies, sexual assaults. He’s dealt with people with warrants and weapons.

Sirens go off on the nearby street and Washington pauses in the middle of a sentence. He explains how part of his job is to “smile and shake hands.” Of course, as the patrol sergeant, he has other responsibilities, like taking care of paperwork and overseeing written reports of campus crime. He is also the ground fighting
and weapons instructor. In addition, he is the range master, so he gets to teach officers shooting techniques and he can also approve their vacations.

When not at work, Washington enjoys playing with his 6-year-old son.

“He’s a family guy,” says Los Rios Police Captain Valerie Cox, who has known Washington for 10 years.

“One of the most important things to any law enforcement officer is his family and having their support,” Washington says.

His natural people skills and willingness to help others seem perfect for the job. But Washington knows that some people may not like the police or their presence on campus. He understands that some may believe that police profile people or are arrogant.

He explained that police officers must have a commanding presence to receive respect from others and to control situations. He says sometimes people take it the wrong way. He wants people to understand where they’re coming from because officers don’t have the “luxury of being nice to everybody.”

“I hate confrontation,” Washington says. “I really do. But do I feel comfortable enough in my abilities that I can handle myself? Yeah.”

The breeze is still blowing strongly but the sound of Sgt. Washington’s radio starts to fade away as he goes back to doing his job, with a smile on his face.