Police Officer Profile: Tech Worker Drewkai Butler Became a Cop and Found Meaning in Mid-Career Switch

Sunset police officer Drewkai Butler (left).

Police officer Drewkai Butler was born in the West African country of Liberia. His childhood in the capital city of Monrovia was interrupted at age 7 when he had to flee a bloody coup. Drewkai’s family was in danger because his father worked for the overthrown government. 

Drewkai and his mother escaped to San Francisco, to live with his mom’s sister. His dad came later.

Drewkai’s new life in San Francisco didn’t suggest he would become a police officer. He received a sociology degree from UC Berkeley and worked in tech helping Microsoft staff employees. He eventually became a regional director of employee relations at the staffing company Volt. 

A management shake-up at his company made Drekai think about a mid-career change. He wanted to do something with more meaning and impact, like many workers have attempted during the recent “Great Resignation.”

At 43, Drewkai joined the police academy. He has worked at the Taraval police station, which serves the Sunset, for the past four years. 

“I had never thought of policing before,” he says. “At 43, I had reservations, but I eventually realized there was a huge plus to going into policing being older rather than younger. It’s less of a physical job and more human relations. Of course, being physically fit helps sometimes, but the biggest thing is really the soft skills – people skills.”

When he is on foot patrol those soft skills are on prominent display. “I always have a smile when I'm at work,” he says. “It’s part of my uniform.”

But smiling is just part of Drewkai’s approach.

“If I can talk to at least 50 to 100 people, I'm going to make an impact on 50-100 lives in just that day,” he says. “Your interaction with one person is usually observed by 10 other people. And that impacts them, too.”

What about critics of the police?

“I even enjoy saying hi to people whose initial phrase is, ‘F the police.’” Drewkai says.

As an immigrant from a country that punished free speech, Drewkai doesn't take for granted the freedom Americans enjoy — even to curse at a cop. 

“Free speech is a part of our great country, and part of my role as an officer is ensuring that everybody gets to enjoy their constitutional rights. That's part of what I'm here for. To me, it  seems a huge privilege and honor to be part of that for this country.”

If Drewkai has a policing philosophy, it comes down to believing that how officers react on the scene can materially affect the outcome.

He points with pride to the police department’s reform policies. A recent California Department of Justice report lauded SFPD for its “substantial work” in implementing reforms that “have resulted in meaningful improvement” in its policies, process, training and culture.

The report said SFPD has enacted 90 percent of the 272 recommended reforms, which is "a significant achievement," and "the only example of voluntary reform at this level in the United States."

Today’s SFPD is not the same department it was 50, 30, or even 10 years ago. It has made great strides to become, as the New York Times described, a city “where police reform has worked.”

“We hope other departments can take the example we are setting,” Drewkai says. “I think we do a great job. It makes it easy to come to work and be proud of making a positive difference out there.”

Drewkai encourages people who are drawn to helping others to consider joining the force — even people in their 40s like him.

“Helping is at the heart of policing,” he says. “And not everything is a crisis. I've carried groceries, pushed people uphill in their wheelchair. There are so many ways people need help, and when you're out there, you have the ability to affect in a positive direction every life you run into.”

After working in the technology sector for more than a dozen years, Drewkai says the tech world — with its increasing number of layoffs — offers a great talent pool for replenishing a police shortage. SFPD needs to hire at least 500 new officers.

“Tech people have a diversity of talent and interests and would be a great fit for police work,” Drewkai says.

And surprisingly, Drewkai says, policing would not mean much of a change in pay for a tech worker looking for a new challenge.

“Most of the people I knew in tech easily worked 60-80 plus hours a week,” he says. “But they were paid for only 40 hours a week. So if someone told you they make $150K, you almost have to divide that in half in terms of pay for hours actually worked.”

Police officer salaries in San Francisco start at six figures, which is for a truly 40-hour work week. Anything beyond 40 hours pays overtime. 

“If there’s one thing I’d say to anyone in the tech field who was looking for a change and wanted to make an immediate difference in impacting lives, it’s consider being a police officer in San Francisco,” Drewkai says. “You might be that one officer someone in need connects with.”

Of course, police work can be tough and even dangerous. Yet Drewkai primarily sees it as a “people-relations job.”

“You’re learning how to talk with folks, figuring out what's the quickest way to connect with someone so they will feel heard,” Drewkai says. “If somebody hates your guts but feels you've heard what they want to express, it changes them inside.”

NOTE: The San Francisco Police Department is hiring. Learn more here.

Reported and written by volunteer community journalist Tom Colin. We encourage retired journalists and student journalists in high school and college to volunteer as writers for Supervisor Engardio’s newsletter. Interested? Apply here. Do you know a story you would like to see featured in the newsletter? Tell us about it here.