One episode of ‘The First 48’ put her on the path to Centerville PD

Officer Tavyonne King embodies ambition and proactivity at the Centerville Police Department.

Born and raised in Atlanta, King started her police career at the Fort Valley Police Department in 2020 and joined Centerville in August of last year.

She studied undergrad at Fort Valley State University and recently got her Master’s in Criminal Justice with a law enforcement concentration from Albany State University.

Originally, her career aspirations were in the medical field as an OB-GYN.

Then, inspired by her aunt, she was interested in social work.

But around the eighth grade, casual television watching opened up a new possibility for King.

“I was scrolling on TV and I started watching ‘The First 48.’ It was interrogating people and I was like, ‘This is what I want to do,’” she said.

The TV show sparked King’s goal of becoming an investigator, but it also revealed a common thread through all her early career ideas. 

“I always wanted to help people. I have a helping spirit. The jobs I wanted to do before: OB-GYN, social work, they all help people, so policing just falls in that line,” she said. “When I saw ‘The First 48,’ and saw everything they did, I was like, ‘Yeah, this is it.’”

King says the days are varied as a patrol officer. She starts her day early at 5:45 a.m., then after car inspections and a briefing, hits the streets at 6 a.m.

Early on, King checks businesses, neighborhoods, and vehicles for signs of break-ins. But her favorite part of the day, between neighborhood checks and answering calls, is when she runs traffic.

“I try to start running a little traffic, patrolling the areas, letting people know that we’re out here, we’re patrolling, we’re proactive policing,” she said.

Her other favorite aspect is anytime she can turn on lights and sirens.

“Any high-adrenaline calls that we have to hurry up and get to, emergency calls, they’re fun. I love it,” she said.
King’s favorite call comes from her time in Fort Valley. While working the night shift, she responded to a man stopped in a car on the train tracks.

She and her lieutenant first believed it was a DUI, but it was a medical emergency that she was already prepared for. Her response won her Employee of the Month.

“Come to find out, his sugar was actually low. Luckily, I had snacks in my patrol car. I had a honey bun, and I sent another officer to get him orange juice. We got his sugar back up and we called EMS to have him checked out,” she said.

The incident could have become much worse, leaving King relieved that they stepped in to help.

“If nobody would have seen him on the tracks, he could have been out there for hours. A train could have come. It was a big relief,” she said.
At CVPD, she enjoys the camaraderie between fellow officers and command staff.

“They understand us. We’re able to go talk to them about anything,” she said.

King believes a focus on proactivity and productivity is essential in her work. Being recognized by her team is motivating and behind the results is a desire to help.

“People deal with different things every day, and as a police officer, you see it. Every single day, every call you go on is something different,” she said. “Being able to be there, give people the best advice I can give them, and helping them get out of whatever situation, comforting them when something is going bad, that’s what I like to do.”

King, a newlywed, said she loves spending time with her friends and family outside of work, especially her husband and two-year-old son. She also likes visiting family in Atlanta.