The third annual AL DÍA 40 Under Forty event serves to highlight and showcase some of the most diverse and impactful young professionals across the Philadelphia region. 

At this year's event, taking place Friday, Aug. 26, Jamison Rogers will be one of the 40 honorees. 

Biography

Jamison Rogers is a Chester, Pa. native who has been a part of the Chester City Police force for 13 years. He rose through the ranks at a historic pace, being promoted at the age of 29 to Corporal after just 5 years of service. He is the youngest member to be promoted to the Detective division after also serving as a narcotics officer and patrol supervisor. In addition, he is the youngest African-American male to receive the aforementioned promotions, and is currently the youngest Detective in the Detective Division. 

Rogers is a member of the Prince Hall Masonic fraternity. He was also one of the founding members and the former Vice President of the Chester Young Professionals Inc.

Always proud to give back to his community and share his knowledge with others, Rogers has contributed to NBC10 as a law enforcement expert, and has written several published articles for CNN’s Michael Smerconish on smerconish.com.

At this young age, Rogers aims to serve as a stellar example to young men, especially those of color that would like to seek law enforcement as a career, and has always been passionate about building relationships between the community and law enforcement by being objective and bridging communications.

As part of the lead-up to the AL DÍA 40 Under Forty event, AL DÍA asked each of the honorees a set of identical questions and collected their responses. 

Here are Jamison Rogers' responses: 

What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced in your professional career? 

As a detective, one of the biggest challenges is seeing the effects of gun violence; not only those it personally affects, but also the ripple effects it makes through various communities. In my profession, it is always a good feeling when you are able to solve these incidents and bring justice to those affected, but you can never truly make someone whole, especially after one of their loved ones was lost to gun violence. So another challenge is understanding that it is a much deeper issue that you cannot simply “arrest” your way out of. It truly takes a collaborative effort with stakeholders in the community to put an end to this repeated cycle we are experiencing all too often.

What are steps that can be taken to improve diversity, equity and inclusion in your industry? Why is it important to do so?

More recruitment geared towards underrepresented groups is paramount if we are committed to moving law enforcement forward in a way that matches the makeup of our country. Diverse backgrounds in law enforcement can be a great tool and give better service to the community. For example, speaking the same language of a certain group or understanding different cultures and religions can help break down some of the barriers that are present between law enforcement and the community today. 

What does being a leader mean to you? 

A leader to me is being a servant to others. To be a leader, you have to be willing to serve those that follow you with your knowledge, experience, and actions. Leaders have to be willing to do the work that they expect of those who they lead. A true leader should judge their success not on their personal accomplishments, but on the success of their team.

Where do you see yourself in five years?

In five years, I would expect to have progressed into an administrative level of law enforcement. i.e., police chief of a department, where I would have the responsibility to implement positive policy changes into the ever-evolving profession of law enforcement. I also plan on my law enforcement contributions in the media to have grown. I would love to use that platform to shine a light on the many positives of law enforcement and to also have candid conversations of how we can improve.

The 2022 AL DÍA 40 Under Forty event will take place Friday, Aug. 26 at The Vie at Cescaphe. To learn more or purchase your ticket, click here.