Like father, like child: Metro Atlanta families carry on police, fire traditions

“I wanted to be just like my dad,” she said during a recent interview at Atlanta police headquarters with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Taylor is one of several children in metro Atlanta whose Father’s Day is especially meaningful, having followed dad’s footsteps into law enforcement or the fire service.

There are two brothers working alongside their father in the Coweta County Sheriff’s Office. Two more brothers serve with the South Fulton and Atlanta fire departments, following their dad’s long career with Cobb County fire. One Atlanta firefighter was inspired by her father’s decades of service in Colorado. And another firefighter with DeKalb County learned much of the job from his father, who serves in the same department.

Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC

Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC

Atlanta Police Department: Lt. Ronald J. Walker, Officer Taylor Walker

As a young girl, Taylor remembers the wide eyes she’d get from classmates as she was picked up from school in her dad’s police cruiser. At home, her father’s K-9 companion, Diesel, would either be trailing behind him or snuggling with a toy.

Ronald, who joined Atlanta police in 1992 and recently retired but continues to help train the K-9 unit in a reserve role, said he was inspired to become an officer after watching his own father serve with the Lauderhill Police Department in Florida.

Taylor, 28, has been a patrol officer since 2020. Her father encouraged her to go to college, worried she’d dive headfirst into policing and never get around to going. She’s now grateful for that push and said her bachelor’s degree in criminal justice has proven useful on the job.

When her training or instincts aren’t enough, she turns to her dad.

“If I ever need advice or there’s a problem, this is my problem-solving,” Taylor said. “I know he wouldn’t steer me wrong.”

Though Ronald, 54, said he initially didn’t want Taylor to pursue law enforcement, he was deeply proud when she graduated as valedictorian of her police academy class. He said it’s also been bittersweet to realize he had such an influence on Taylor’s interests growing up.

“Nobody really wants your kids to go into law enforcement. ... There’s a lot of liability, a lot of sleepless nights. You second-guess what you’ve done sometimes. Even though it was the right thing, you still worry all the time. And I was like, ‘I don’t really want that for her,’” Ronald said, but ultimately added that “she made me proud.”

Credit: Courtesy of Chris Moss

Credit: Courtesy of Chris Moss

Cobb County, South Fulton, Atlanta fire departments: Capt. Terry Moss, Assistant Chief Jeff Moss, Sgt. Chris Moss

Whenever Jeff Moss achieved something big as a child, his mother would take him and his brother to their father’s fire station in south Cobb County. Their father, Capt. Terry Moss, sometimes missed sporting and school events because of work, but he once surprised Jeff by showing up at a soccer match with his fire truck and fire crew.

Those childhood moments stuck, especially the many days he and his brother spent climbing on the Cobb fire trucks. The firehouse was part of their family.

“My dad worked at stations fairly close to where we lived, so we were there all the time. All of the guys knew me,” said Jeff, 55, the assistant chief of fire training for the South Fulton Fire Department.

Credit: JOHN SPINK / AJC

Credit: JOHN SPINK / AJC

His brother, Sgt. Chris Moss, would often go to work with Terry and ride in the back of the fire truck as a teenager. For the past 20 years, he has been with Atlanta Fire Rescue, but he said he originally wanted to work with the Cobb fire department with his dad.

“He used to let me go ride with him,” Chris, 51, said. “He used to take me to work. And I was 18 years old. Instead of going to party, I went to work with him.”

One of his favorite memories was hugging his father after a long shift — while Terry still smelled like smoke.

Terry, 77, worked with Cobb fire from 1971 until 2000, when he retired. As a child, he hung around the fire station near his home and admired the work. As a father, he’s been able to see that same excitement in his sons.

“They love their work, and they’re just glad that they followed their dad’s footsteps. And it was just a good family bond,” Terry said. “Those two boys love each other. I’m really proud of their closeness.”

The trio are also members of the elite Georgia Smoke Diver Association, a six-day advanced training course few pass. Terry was the 22nd person in the state to complete it.

Credit: NATRICE MILLER

Credit: NATRICE MILLER

Coweta County Sheriff’s Office: Capt. Chuck Smith, Deputies Parker and Kyle Smith

Capt. Chuck Smith, 58, said he didn’t want his children to follow him into law enforcement. He grew up hearing stories from relatives in policing but knew firsthand how hard the job could be, and he didn’t want that for his five children.

He said he thought he was protecting them. But then he realized his sons, Parker and Kyle Smith, were serious about the career.

“But what I realized is, if that was their dream, by me telling them no — why would I not want them to have a career where it could be so fulfilling and rewarding?” Chuck said.

The deputies grew up in awe of their father’s job. The lights, sirens, fast driving, uniform and sense of purpose all stood out. It was also a plus to get dropped off at school in Chuck’s patrol vehicle.

Kyle, 25, who works in the sheriff’s office’s HEAT Unit, said he remembers as a young boy and then as a teenager getting to see his dad in action, pulling over drivers and “putting bad folks in jail.”

Parker, 35, is a school resource officer with the sheriff’s office. When he first joined law enforcement, he was afraid to tell his dad. But now his father is his safe space whenever he needs support.

“I think that is a big advantage that both (Kyle) and me have versus some of the other guys around here. Of course, they have their buddies and stuff, but it’s so much deeper when you have your parent,” Parker said about being able to talk to his dad whenever he responds to a particularly difficult case.

Credit: Courtesy of LaTia and Isadell Posey

Credit: Courtesy of LaTia and Isadell Posey

Atlanta Fire Rescue and Aurora (Colorado) Fire Rescue: LaTia Posey, Lt. Isadell Posey

LaTia Posey went from eating spaghetti at an Aurora Fire Rescue station in Colorado with her dad as a youngster to a captain with Atlanta Fire Rescue. For 55-year-old LaTia, her dad’s crew was her extended family.

“I kind of grew up in the fire station. Grew up on the fire trucks,” LaTia said.

It was natural to follow behind her father. Her dad, 71-year-old Lt. Isadell Posey, retired in 2020 after 33 years of service in Colorado. Their bond goes beyond firefighting — they share a love of basketball and a deep respect for helping others.

At age 13, LaTia knew she wanted to be a firefighter.

“I remember being in school, and one of the kids at school had a seizure. They were playing kick the can, and the kid hit his head on the wall, and I was the only one that kind of knew what to do,” she said. “That was kind of the turning point to me wanting to help out in another way.”

Now, with about 20 years in the field, she still turns to her father after tough calls. She said it’s been a blessing to have someone who has experienced many of the same things.

Isadell, who moved closer to his daughter after retiring, said he has been enjoying watching her work and visiting her fire station.

“It was just an amazing thing to watch her develop and become a leader herself,” he said. “I always thought that was one of the best things that I can see that she’s been doing, and I’m so proud of her.”

Credit: Courtesy of Holcomb family

Credit: Courtesy of Holcomb family

DeKalb County Fire Rescue: Battalion Chief Patrick Holcomb, Jake Holcomb

As a teenager, Jake Holcomb would go to work with his dad. That meant standing nearby as his father rushed into burning buildings and washing the truck during his downtime. By 19, he was working for the Atlanta fire department. Now, he occasionally gets to fight fires alongside his father with the DeKalb fire department.

“I slowly started to realize it’s something he loved and he was passionate about, and that’s kind of what made me fall into it,” Jake said.

Battalion Chief Patrick Holcomb, 52, said he spent much of his childhood around firehouses. With a father, grandfather and two uncles in the profession, it was hard to avoid it. But his family actually discouraged him from joining the ranks. He worked in the private sector for years before finally applying for DeKalb at age 31.

“When (Jake) showed an interest at all, I was like, ‘Look, I’m going to show you everything,’ and I hid nothing from him. I mean, there was no sugar coating,” Patrick said.

Jake, 29, describes himself as a spitting image of his dad. The similarities go beyond fire service and into sports. Growing up, Patrick coached him in wrestling, football, baseball and soccer. Now, when they’re not on shift, they both coach at separate high schools and sometimes face off on the sidelines at events and tournaments.

They’re each other’s best friends and biggest supporters. If they’re not catching up on the phone after work, they’re hearing about each other through coworkers.

Patrick said it brings him pride when his longtime coworkers are impressed by his son. “I get phone calls from people just randomly that say, ‘Hey, your son was over here last shift working with me. Amazing. He’s an amazing young man. You should be super proud of him.’”

And Jake said he’s thankful to have learned so much growing up from someone his coworkers also look up to. “Some of my buddies that work there, they’re like, ‘Hey, your dad came by today. I love him to death. I’d work for him in a heartbeat. He’s such a good chief.’ ... It means the world to me.”