TAMPA, Fla. — A retired Winter Haven police officer is still serving her community after 30 years on the force. Carol Bradley is a beloved figure for thousands of former students and their parents. 

Bradley grew up in the Winter Haven area and decided to service in the U.S. Army for a few years right out of high school.

She said she was inspired to serve in the military because her father Johnny Dinks served 25 years in the U.S. Air Force.

On a recent morning, Bradley was teaching children at Rotary Park about stranger danger.

“A stranger is a person that you do not know,” she told the children. “Know your surroundings. Know where you are,” she said.

Then she handed out plastic badges to the children to encourage them to consider a career in law enforcement.

“These are the ... Winter Haven Police Department are the one that are giving you the badges today. And it says Winter Haven Police Department.”

Bradley has always loved dealing with children.

“This is the future. This is the future,” she said. “We want our kids to grow up to be very productive. Grow up to be productive adults. And I love kids. I really do.”

Over the years, Bradley served several roles for the police department. She was the city’s first black female community service officer. She also worked in the city’s HUD projects and was a school recourse officer for about 15 years.

During that time, Bradley got to know lots of parents and had many of their phone numbers. The students and children in the didn’t want Bradley to have to make a call to a parent to say they had been misbehaving.

“That’s right," she said. "Cause who wants to get a call from the police officer. Ha. Ha.”

Bradley still volunteers to provide security for the annual Martin Luther King, Jr. parade in Winter Haven. She hopes people remember her for all her service.

“Some would say she was something else," Bradley said. "Some would say she was a good lady, and some would say she really helped us."