BE A BALLER -"Building a lifelong legacy"

Beyond the Badge: Sgt. James Fuqua on Legacy, Faith, and Community

• Coach Tim Brown, Uncommon Life • Season 6 • Episode 6

Share episode

Send us a comment about the Be a Baller Podcast Episode. Thanks for support.

From the South Side of Columbus to the Chief’s Office, Sgt. James Fuqua has built a life around service, mentorship, and faith. In this powerful Be a Baller: Building a Lifelong Legacy conversation, Coach Tim sits down with Sgt. Fuqua to explore what it really means to lead with integrity—on and off duty.

We trace his path from Columbus South High School to the U.S. Army, and into a career with the Columbus Division of Police, where he’s served in patrol, recruiting, and the gang unit before joining the Chief’s office. Through every role, his message stays consistent: the most important tool isn’t on your belt—it’s your mouth.

Sgt. Fuqua reminds us that leadership isn’t about rank—it’s about presence, humility, and the courage to listen first. His story is a call to live with compassion, build bridges, and lead with faith that outlasts the uniform.  Learn how he builds trust, trains officers, and leads with heart—while staying grounded in faith and community. 

 #BeABallerPodcast #Leadership #Faith #Legacy #CommunityPolicing #SgtJamesFuqua #LawEnforcement #Service #ColumbusOhio #BuildingTrust #PurposeDrivenLife #BeyondTheBadge 

Support the show

SPEAKER_02:

Obviously lean on the people who have done it before you. So whatever it is that you choose to do in your life, whether it's be a garbage collector, be a dentist, be a doctor, be an officer, lean on the people that have come before you and get solid advice on how you can be the next so-and-so. Because these are clearly people that are successful and have made it. So they clearly have a path to getting to that point where you are trying to go. I would say for legacy purposes, whatever your passion is, go to the people in that field and lean on them and for guidance and understanding and education.

SPEAKER_00:

Welcome to Be a Baller, where we're building a lifelong legacy for our families, communities, and the world. Your host, Coach Deb Brown, is excited for you to join him on this journey. On each episode, we'll be talking about how to be intentional about building a lasting legacy. We'll be exploring what it means to leave a mark that goes beyond just our lives, but has a positive impact on those around us and even generations to come. So if you're looking for inspiration, guidance, and practical tips on how to build a lasting legacy that makes a difference, then you're in the right place. So grab your earbuds, get comfortable, and let's dive in. It's time to be a baller.

SPEAKER_01:

Welcome to Be a Baller Podcast, Building a Lifelong Legacy. I'm your host, Coach Tim Brown, and today we're joined by a leader who's dedicated his life to service, ministry, and community. Sergeant James Fuca began his career with the Columbus Division of Police in 2004 as part of the 108th recruiting class. Since then, he served in patrol, recruiting, the gang unit, and the community response team. Perhaps most importantly, he shaped the careers of 16 young officers as a field training officer, one of the most critical roles in law enforcement. Today, Sergeant Fucher serves in the office of the chief as a spokesperson for his division, while also being a certified expert, instructor in community diversity and procedural justice, equipping recruits to serve with fairness, culture, awareness, and integrity. And he's a proud graduate of Columbus South High School class. I ain't gonna say the class, you can say it if you want, but I am I'm not gonna call the class out. The year 1997. All right now. He's also a U.S. Army veteran and a man of faith active in prison ministry. Sergeant Fuca continues to live his legacy of service both inside and outside the badge. Welcome to the show, Sergeant. Thank you for having me. Yeah, this is a blessing. Uh, and I know a lot of South High Bulldogs who are really, really proud of that South High School. That's right, we're everywhere. Yeah. You know, it's it's ironic. You grew up on the South Side of Columbus and later returned to that same community in patrol for over 10 years. How did those roots growing up in the South Pien uh shape the way you approached service and leadership?

SPEAKER_02:

Well, that's a great question. And that kind of leads exactly into why I became a police officer. You know, growing up as a young teen in the early 1990s, uh, historically, the South Side and police officers did not have a particularly healthy or cohesive relationship. There was a lot of uh perceived corruption by the community of the police department, specifically CPD. And with that mistrust, you know, I even witnessed with my own eyes uses of force by officers to some of my friends and family that clearly was unnecessary. So because of these things that I saw and the mistrust within the neighborhood culturally, not just myself, but many people, I was like, how can I truly make a difference? And um, we'll probably get into it a little bit later. But once I met a Columbus police officer and he looked like me and come from where I came from and had a very similar story, I absolutely knew that was the only way that I could go back and help the actual community that I grew up in.

SPEAKER_01:

We talk about a lot on the podcast how you first off, you can't be what you can't see. Absolutely. Then we also talk about this MVP concept, which is uh my vision plan. Because when as a young man, you saw that and this whole full circle, it was your vision. And here it is, it came to pass. So you think about that south side. Talk about the village that raised you. Because we know back in the day, our village was real tight. Can you talk about the village that raised you on the south side of Columbus?

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, it's a very real thing. It wasn't just, you know, my mother, it was my grandmother, it was the neighbors, it was uh my next door neighbor who ended up being more of a fatherly figure to me since I didn't have my father growing up. So truly the neighborhood really looked out for each other. And it wasn't just me. So all of my friends that lived in the neighborhood, all the parents and the uncles, and even some other elders definitely made sure that they looked out for us.

SPEAKER_01:

You know, looking back at your journey from South High School to the Army, U.S. Army, thank you for your service. Uh and joining the Columbus Division of Police, what moments stand out as turning points in building your legacy? What is what are some of those turning point moments? That's a great question.

SPEAKER_02:

So, pardon me. So one thing that stuck out in particular is uh again, it was another moment where I realized that I wanted to join law enforcement eventually. And uh there was a situation. I was 16 years old, and we had just gotten out of school early because there was a mechanical issue in the building. So they were forced to let us out around noon. Typically, we got out at 2:30. So uh my friend and I we walked home and we were sitting on the porch. This was a warm spring day, kind of towards the end of the school year, but it's it's basically noon. And uh we're just sitting on the porch and we see the helicopter flying overhead, the police helicopter, which unfortunately was not uncommon to us in that neighborhood. So we didn't think anything of it. And as we continued to stand and watch, we saw the helicopter was getting lower and lower, and we were like, okay, that's highly unusual. So the next thing you know, we hear sirens and cars coming closer. And essentially officers came from my backyard to the front and they ordered us to the ground at gunpoint. And while they had us at gunpoint, they handcuffed us, they threw us in the back of separate cars, and they told us we were under arrest for a burglary that had just occurred. Now, mind you, we had just gotten out of school and we absolutely didn't commit any burglaries. And they told us that we fit the description of the suspects who committed this burglary. So I thought for sure I'm going to jail because I'm young, I don't have rights, they're not going to listen to me. And thank God for a neighbor that I had. And just for context, in the neighborhood I grew up in, just on that one particular block, all the houses, there was not, there were we were all black. There was all African Americans, all black people, and there was one older uh white couple who had been there for like 60 years, and they were in their literal 80s, and they said, those young men did not break into the house. We know it wasn't them. We we've seen them sitting here this whole time. So if it would was not for them being eyewitnesses, we would have both been in jail. I could have had a felony record, and who who knows where I would be now. So that was one turning point. And then the second turning point was actually once I was in the army and having so many close friends, and you know, I was a young guy to the unit, and they just taught me great life lessons, just you know, how to take care of your money from a professional standpoint, how to interact and how to get a job post-military, because I knew I wasn't going to stay in 20 years. So these were great mentors that are still friends and basically older brothers to this day. Wow.

SPEAKER_01:

You know, you you mentioned the word faith in that. Can you talk about uh your faith journey and your relationship with the Lord?

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, absolutely. Uh it's it's been a journey for sure. At 46 years old, you know, you think you have life figured out, especially from a faith-based perspective, and uh that's just not the case. Um, growing up, you know, I always believed in Jesus and I believed in the love of Christ, but I I I wasn't following scripture and I wasn't following the Lord's voice like I should have been doing. And I made a lot of mistakes. And fortunately, because of Christ and his ability to give us that salvation and the things that we need to be successful in life, that later in life, it really wasn't until my early 40s when I became baptized again, born again, and truly a man of God in the way that I should be, not only leading my family, but more importantly, just running to him when things are great, running to him when things aren't great. But the point is, having that faith and having that background gives you clarity, especially in this job, that everybody is one mistake away or one sinful act from losing their life or going to jail or something bad happening to them. And that's why it was so important for me to get into prison ministry because we're all humans, we're all children of God. And because of my faith and me understanding how important it is to lead that one sheep back home with the other 99, that's exactly why I do it.

unknown:

Right.

SPEAKER_01:

You're starting to preach now. You know, you mentioned that prison ministry. How how does that how does that impact you? You know, here you are seeing seeing persons out here and then going in uh uh work with guys are in prison. And how'd that come about? How'd that opportunity come about?

SPEAKER_02:

So I had to give credit to my wife because she had been wanting to do it for a while, and I'm like, yeah, you you go ahead and have fun with that. I have no desire to do that, right? And uh as we kept talking about it, I realized, you know, I prayed on it and I just kept thinking about it. And, you know, the Lord stirred it in my heart. No, you you need to do this. This is an avenue that is not traveled very often from people. Unfortunately, a lot of people look at the prison population is just lost, and they have no desire to rehabilitate or bring faith back into their life. So uh I definitely have to credit her for nudging me that way and just staying prayerful about it. And, you know, I've been in it for over a year and a half now, and it's been honestly one of the most fulfilling things I've ever done in my entire life. Uh, you know, I was a little apprehensive at first, obviously being somewhat of a public figure. I wasn't sure how people would receive me. And I gotta tell you, our very first session we went in there, this this is a true story. Guy sitting right next to me as someone I had arrested in my past years ago. And he had re-offended, unfortunately. But the point is, he didn't have an issue and he thought even more of me for being in there and doing that. So it's it's been a great experience.

SPEAKER_01:

You know, uh as your role of the a field training officer, and you you've trained 16 plus officers doing one of the most pivotal times in their career. The question is, what principles do you focus on? Are you trying to instill in them?

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, there's so many, it's great, right? So obviously, we never want them to stray away from their initial academy training that they receive for those seven months while they're in there. So we want them to focus on that. And then as a field training officer, we just build blocks. And one of the most important things is obviously making yourself safe and the people around you safe. So tactically, how you speak to people, how you approach situations, but those are the main building blocks while you're being a field training officer. But most importantly, like I said, um, and if any of the people that I trained were in here right now, they would tell you that the number one thing I would always say, the most important tool is not on your belt and it's not your vest. It's right here, it's your mouth. Not only what you say, but how you say to people. And that is the most critical thing in this job.

SPEAKER_01:

Right.

unknown:

Right.

SPEAKER_01:

You know, you you have such a wide experience in this field. You're also a certified expert, instructor in community diversity and procedural justice. When you hear that when we hear that word procedural justice, what does that what does that really mean in practice? And how does it, how can you impact the trust between officers and the community?

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, in practice, procedural justice means what are you doing as an officer when no one is looking or when you think no one is looking, or when that body camera's not on? What are you doing to treat other human beings with dignity, decency, fairness, and most important, legally? So procedural justice is just a very fancy way of asking, are you doing the right thing at the right time at all times as an officer?

unknown:

Wow.

SPEAKER_02:

Wow.

SPEAKER_01:

In your view, what does uh, as we as we talk about leadership, what does true leadership look like and placing today beyond the badge and rank?

SPEAKER_02:

That's a great question. So, first starting with beyond the rank, it doesn't matter if you're the chief of police or a recruit fresh out of the academy. I keep harping back on. There's nothing more important than how you treat people. And you are a civil servant. And it's one of those things we have to remember as officers. We are called. I do believe this is this is a calling. Whether you are faith-based or not, to do this job is a calling, and you have to be prepared to be that civil servant because a lot of times you're meeting people on their worst day. They're only calling you because they have no other option and no other resource. So that is something that we have to take very serious, and that is something we can we can never uh underestimate.

SPEAKER_01:

You know, being a police officer, uh, you also have other responsibilities as well. So, how do you balance those? Uh uh professional responsibility for your personal calling to serve the community and the ministry. How do you balance those?

SPEAKER_02:

Work life balance is probably the most difficult thing for officers to do, right? Um we are here in practice 40 hours plus a week, just like every other person that has a nine to five, essentially, depending on what shift you work. But that work life balance, uh, it's important. So, you know, my wife and I have a rule once we are off, once we walk through the threshold of our home, we don't discuss work. Now, there may be times where there's certain things that have to be discussed specific to work, but we we leave that at at the door because you know, my wife is an officer as well. So that work life balance is super important. And when you are off to have a hobby, have something to do. Uh, a lot of young officers fall have a pitfall where they uh this new job is such an amazing, shiny thing that even when they're off, they're still trying to do police work and they don't have any high uh hobbies. And that kind of breeds hypervigilance, which means now you're always on, on and on edge, and you're always thinking you have to be the police, and that's absolutely not a healthy way to live.

SPEAKER_01:

You know, uh, we talk a lot now about uh community policing. Can you take us behind the veil, behind the curtain? What does community policing look like and what's the goal of community policing?

SPEAKER_02:

Well, first and foremost, it has to be boots on the ground.

unknown:

Okay.

SPEAKER_02:

It can't community policing cannot be an officer in a patrol car just driving down the street and waving and occasionally talking to people from the car. You have to have boots on the ground. You have to get into the community. Know who your business owners are, know who, you know, Mrs. Johnson, who's lived on the block for 30 years and knows more than we would ever know about what's going on in the neighborhood. Know the faith-based community in your area. So know the pastors of churches that are in your neighborhoods that you work. Actually getting out and getting to know people and becoming active, you know, being a volunteer out of school, um, going to a homeless shelter on your precinct and volunteering on your time off or donating clothes. That's what true community policing is is immersing yourself in that community and showing that you care and you're not just there to show up for a paycheck.

SPEAKER_01:

You know, when you were on on patrol in the South Fear and Columbus, what would you say were some of the best practices of that? What were some of those things that you saw? So maybe saw some other officers doing that.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, I think we all took uh pride in getting to know people. And uh, you know, I'm not gonna sit here and take credit and say that I was the reason, but I think there were several of us that grew up in that neighborhood at the time that I worked the precinct. So it was very important to us to show, specifically young uh black and brown uh boys and girls, that the police are here to help. It's not always adversarial. We are truly a part of the community. And just trying to break down those barriers and those stereotypes that I once faced at their age was really our primary focus in doing that. But uh we also just took pride in, like I said, when we had quality of life issues, like too much trash in certain areas, to get in touch with city resources to make sure those things were taken away. To when we had a huge gang problem, making sure that we addressed that issue and and worked to eradicate those behaviors of those people and the with the gang involvement. So it was an all hands-on deck type of situation. But those are some of the things that come to my mind that we really focused on doing to make it a better community.

SPEAKER_01:

As we look at young people today and you're out there, you see them all the time. What what would you say is um how can we as adults, how can we as a community really step in and encourage them, uh guide them, direct them in a different path? You know, what what is what is it that we can, what was it, what would you say to the community?

SPEAKER_02:

The number one thing as adults, we have to listen. We have to listen to these young people. You know, we have a tendency from whatever generation I'm generation X, that our generation was the best. Or back in my day, we did it this way or that way. These young people now, they are whatever they are, right? We have to first listen because we the minute you stop learning and learning from no matter the age, then you stop growing. So you have to first listen to them to even understand where they are. You know, you always hear that expression, meeting people where they are. Truly, to get to young people today, you have to first start by listening. And I was just as guilty as many other people. Uh, but once I learned how to listen to what they were saying, it helped me kind of navigate what the next steps were in order to help them, whether it was from an education standpoint, whether it's trying to find a job or just um mental health issues that they were going through in present time, just trying to figure out how I could help. So I would say the number one thing with young people today, we as the adults and as the elders of these young people, we have to listen to them.

SPEAKER_01:

You know, you you've seen the you've seen the growth of Columbus, not just numerically, but diversity as well as well, you know, with different nationalities in the city now. Uh what would you say to the city to help uh with you know bring people together, so to speak, from from all these different nationalities, different races, different groups. What would you say to the city how we can bring these together? Because they're here. And we're blessed by we're blessed by them being here. What would you say to the to it?

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, no, that's a great question. I think um that takes all of city leadership, whether it's the mayor, city council, or uh just people that are embedded in the fabric of our community, like I said, faith-based leaders that are very prominent, uh having functions and uh whether it's a block party or a cookout or things where people feel welcome to come in, I think any of that would be great to get that uh uh the community to come together. I mean, breaking bread is goes back to the beginning of time. So anytime you have some food, maybe a little bit of music, people are there.

SPEAKER_01:

I'm there. That's good. Uh you know, so this is a legacy podcast. So you think about uh living a legacy, which is what you're doing, what does that phrase mean to you personally? What does that legacy word mean?

SPEAKER_02:

Uh for me, like I said, that definitely has changed over the years because before, if you would have asked me five years ago, legacy was about, okay, will I be remembered? And what will I, I, I be in the legacy of the people that are coming after me. And like I said, from a faith-based perspective, once you get a little deeper into the scripture, and like I said, it wasn't until my early 40s that I truly was understanding as a believer, not understanding scripture in the way I should have. Legacy is about building the kingdom, getting, getting, making heaven full, right? That's you know, I go to Rock City Church, and uh, you know, Pastor Chad just that is the slogan. We want to make heaven full. So, whatever that looks like, that's what I want my legacy to be. I want to be able to say that I led people to Jesus, I kept people out of trouble, and whatever we got to do to make heaven full, that's that's what I'm here for.

SPEAKER_01:

Wow, that's powerful. Make heaven full. That's powerful. As we come around the corner, uh, what advice would you give to the next generation, whether in law enforcement or in community service at large, about building a life that leads that kind of legacy?

SPEAKER_02:

Obviously, lean on the people who have done it before you. So whatever it is that you choose to do in your life, whether it's be a garbage collector, be a dentist, be a doctor, be an officer, lean on the people that have come before you and get solid advice on how you can be the next so-and-so. Because these are clearly people that are successful and have made it. So they clearly have a path to getting to that point where you are trying to go. I would say for legacy purposes, whatever your passion is, go to the people in that field and lean on them and for guidance and understanding and education.

SPEAKER_01:

You know, this has been a powerful conversation. Uh, just learning your journey from the south side of Columbus to the Army and to being a uh spokesperson for the Columbus Police Department and just hearing you, hearing you share, hearing your heart, they couldn't have chosen a better person, you know, to represent, to be that person out front. And the key word you you talked about was not what you say, but how you say it. Yes. How you say it. And I've watched you uh before you became the spokesperson. I just watched you and the way you handle people, you know, and made them feel uh because they already, like I said, could be the worst day of their life. We don't know what's going on, but it's just how you make them feel in in in whatever situation it is. Absolutely. And that's the key to this thing. So I want to thank you for that. And I want to thank you for building this legacy based on service, uh, sacrifice, and commitment uh to shaping others, to shaping others. We talked about those officers that you're training and whatnot, you know, and that's fruit on your tree, you know. And I'm sure those guys can count on you or they're gonna remember something that they can get in that situation. Oh, that's what Sarge meant. You know, yes. That's what because you really don't know until you get in there.

SPEAKER_02:

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01:

And then he clicks. Oh, that's what he meant. And then they have a blueprint on how to handle that in the right way in those situations. So I want to thank you for that. And you know, here at Beer Baller Podcast, uh, this is what it's all about learning from stories like yours, so we can have an impact that outlives us. So thank you. I want to thank the audience for listening to today's episode, and I pray they're inspired to share with someone who's working on building their own legacy. Until next time, keep pushing, keep serving, and keep building a lifelong legacy. Appreciate you, stories. Thanks, thanks for watching.

SPEAKER_02:

Yes, sir. Appreciate you. Thank you.

SPEAKER_00:

If you've enjoyed this episode, please share it with family and friends. The Be a Baller Podcast is available on all major podcast platforms. This podcast was created by Coach Tim Brown and recorded and edited by the video production class of Worthington Christian High School. Be sure to come back next week as we continue to discuss on how to build a lifelong legacy. Until then, don't forget to be a baller.