Trading his Toronto Blue Jays jersey for a police uniform wasn't always the plan for Dalton Pompey.
But now that he's an officer with Hamilton police, he's sure it was the right move.
"You wanna go play on a team (where) you feel wanted, right?" he said of joining the Hamilton Police Service earlier this year. "So it was kind of a no-brainer decision for me to come out here ... I've really enjoyed my time being here so far."
Pompey, from Mississauga, Ont., was once considered one of the Blue Jays' top prospects and was on the team during its 2015 playoff run.
He left the Jays organization in 2019 and then spent time with the Arizona Diamondbacks and Los Angeles Angels before returning to Ontario in 2022 to play with the Guelph Royals of the Intercounty Baseball League.
Pompey announced his retirement from baseball after the 2022 season.
He said he started thinking about a career in emergency services as his professional baseball career was winding down and he was getting injured on the field more often. He remembers that there was usually a police officer near the Blue Jays' bench during games, and he would use the opportunity to ask questions about policing.
Pompey said the deputy chief of Hamilton police reached out to him after he revealed in a newspaper interview that he was interested in emergency services. He said he completed all the necessary background checks, training and went to Ontario Police College before officially receiving his badge in April.
He recently began patrolling the streets of Hamilton on his own and said it has been a "stimulating" experience.
"You have to put on your thinking cap every single day and it's been good," he told The Canadian Press in an interview. "I'm also finding out ... what I enjoy doing and, you know, just moulding myself into the type of officer that I want to be."
That type of officer, Pompey said, is someone who is trusted in the community and able to help others in "whatever situation that they might be going through and in that moment."
Hamilton police say Pompey is joining the force as baseball caps become a uniform option for its officers.
They say officers can now choose to wear a ball cap instead of the traditional police hat as part of their police attire.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 1, 2023.
The Canadian Press
