This Police Officers Former Life

Being judgmental is probably the easiest thing in the world. Especially for the select few of us who have never faced adversity, never had hard times, and have never faced a storm in their lives. I am not one of those select few. I've faced situations in my life in which I have had to step out of character, compromise a principal or two, and do a few other things that I boldly proclaimed I would NEVER do once upon a time. I am not ashamed to say that some of it has come back to bite me. But by the grace of God I'm still here, and I am a better man. I've come a long way, but at times I still stand in judgement of others because all that I can see is the life I have today, and I forget about the struggles in my past. Sometimes I have to reel myself back in. Then other times my better half has to reel me back in. There is nothing like a good reality check every now and then. But the fact is for all that we're doing, and all that we've done there are consequences. This story is about judgement, the past, and dealing with consequences of our actions.

Philadelphia police officer Terra Barrow  is fed up with judgmental people who are giving her the side eye because her phone sex industry past has now come to light.

The 35-year-old, who works in the Civil Affairs Unit, is defending herself against the moral majority, who are trying to make her feel as if she had done something criminally wrong. For years, Barrow’s moonlighting stints encompassed not only phone sex but websites catering to folks with deviant fetishes such as rape and kidnapping, which are illegal acts. The Philadelphia Police Department has yet to address the fact that Barrows seedy past was not uncovered in a preliminary investigation conducted prior to her becoming a Police Officer.

Barrow, who admits she delved into the side business to support her ailing father, feels she’s done nothing wrong and has not devalued herself as an officer, as she no longer peddles sex. “I never portrayed myself as a police officer. My real name was never revealed to my characters. I never did anything to expose the police department,” she said.

Barrow’s former sex industry gig was revealed to police personnel higher-ups back in 2011 when they were alerted, via a complaint, about her “seedy” side jobs. Police officials did not punish Barrow because a loophole in their policies does not forbid officers from engaging in phone-sex work. However, the department is now looking to tweak the guidelines with regards to the kinds of moonlighting jobs officers can actually engage in when they are out of uniform.

Even though the entrepreneurial woman has another side gig selling body wraps that can aid weight loss, she is still haunted by the whispers, stares and judgmental comments about how she used to make a living. “Everybody is so quick to judge,” Barrow added. “But at the end of the day, I go to sleep knowing my mom and dad are taken care of.”

There is a lot to be said for a good nights sleep if you can actually rest.

PR