Louis Trapnell - '26
Called to Serve: Trapnell Balances Full-Time Security and Studies
Louis Trapnell felt the call to law enforcement at his three-year-old birthday party when a sheriff’s deputy let him sit in the patrol car. “I was like, yeah, this is pretty much it,” says Trapnell, who will be the first in his family to enter law enforcement.
Now a junior at Southern Wesleyan University, Trapnell has fully embraced that calling. After starting as a part-time campus security officer in January, he began a full-time position this summer while maintaining his status as a full-time student.
“It’s difficult, but thankfully, my first year was learning how to do time management, and now I’m getting into applying it,” Trapnell explains. His security duties include locking 27 buildings each night, monitoring vehicle registration, and conducting monthly safety inspections of everything from first aid kits to fume hoods.
The role has taught him valuable lessons about law enforcement, particularly in communication. “I’ve never been an outgoing guy,” he admits. “Learning how to communicate rules and regulations with people who necessarily don’t want to follow them—that’s kind of been my biggest thing. You just have to talk to them like you know they’re another human being.”
His practical experience was put to the test during a gas leak emergency at the campus gym. “We had about 600 kids on campus for summer camps,” he recalls. After a pickup truck damaged a gas valve and fled the scene, Trapnell had to rely on his training to manage the crisis. “For about 20 minutes I was out there making sure everybody’s safe and evacuating the gym until we could get Fort Hill Gas and the fire department out.”
Criminal Justice professors James McDonald and Dr. Brad Bowen have been instrumental in Trapnell’s development, offering both classroom instruction and mentorship. “Their focus when they’re teaching is to make sure that their students are able to become better people and better Christians,” he says.
Equally important has been the mentorship of Adam Ladd, SWU’s Safety Coordinator. “Adam has poured into my life by spending countless hours teaching and advising me,” Trapnell says. “He has trained me, given me practical skills for the real world, and has been a positive role model in my life.”
Trapnell’s journey to law enforcement wasn’t straightforward. He initially arrived at SWU as a business major on the cross-country team, running from what he knew was his true calling. “The Lord saw that and saw that I was running away from his calling for my life,” he reflects. “I knew I was always supposed to be a law enforcement officer, but I didn’t want to. I wanted to go do something that made money and was safer.”
Now vice president of the Criminal Justice Club and helping establish a Criminal Justice Honor Society, Trapnell approaches his demanding schedule with remarkable positivity. “I need to stick with what I’m doing because that’s what God has called me to do,” he explains.
Looking ahead five years, Trapnell hopes to have completed the police academy and gained enough patrol experience to move into investigations, his dream position.
For now, he continues to embrace the opportunities he has to combine his faith and vocation. “I’m praying with people right on campus,” he says about the spiritual impact he’s had as part of campus security. “I want to be a servant for other people.”