Some parents hope their child follows in their footsteps. For one Corpus Christi Police Department captain that wish came true.
Capt. Trenade Paddock watched her 25-year-old daughter, Gabriella, graduate from the Corpus Christi Police Academy almost two weeks ago. Today was the official first day on the job for recruit Gabriella Paddock, who told KRIS 6 News she dreamed of becoming a police officer after going on numerous ride-alongs with her mom when she was younger.
She made one arrest.
Now, they're the only mother-daughter duo in the department fighting crime in the community.
"I'm really proud to be like my mom," Gabriella said.
"It just makes me really proud that she wants to be like me," said Trenade. "Whether she wants to be or not, she's like me, ." said Capbut I think that's because we've spent so much time together."
Growing up, Gabriella spent many days and nights by her mother's side as she joined her on those ride-alongs in the city.
"I wanted to go on a call all the time, just to see what kind of stuff we could get into or what kind of calls we would get sent to," she said. "I just had a passion for it."
That passion for joining the force grew and eventually Gabriella applied to become an officer. She was accepted into the police academy last year, and went through 32 weeks of vigorous training.
"The hardest thing for me was, and is, is trying to live up to being my mom's daughter," Gabriella said. "But I like a challenge."
She described the moment her mother put her police badge on her for the first time almost two weeks ago.
"So that was a really proud moment for me," Gabriella said. "Every moment in my life, with my mom, because she is probably my best friend, (her pinning the badge on me) was probably the happiest moment."
"My heart is so full because she decided she wanted to do the same type of job that I wanted to do," Trenade said.
The two won't be working together as partners out in the field, but they do have the same mentality while on the job.
"It would've been fun to go out and catch the bad guy together, because we're both very competitive," Trenade said.
However, now, all Gabriella wants to do is follow in her mother's footsteps.
"As she got promoted she said 'All I want to do is be a good captain,' " Gabriella said. "All I can say right now is I want to be a good cop. I want to be as good as my mom was, or better than my mom was."
"When I became a police officer, I thought it was the best job in the world," Trenade said. "So I'm just really proud of her . . . I love our city, and it makes me proud she wants to take care of our city."
