Charlotte-Mecklenburg police Officer Yency Contreras was 17 years old and living in Honduras when he decided he was going to change his life.
He was the oldest of seven children, all living with their parents in a shack with dirt floors, no bathroom and a leaky makeshift roof.
“I saw violence happening, and I saw poverty, and I saw this crime happening, and nothing was being done, so I realized this is not the place where I want to be,” Contreras said.
(Officer Contreras, in the purple shirt, with his family in Honduras)
Without telling his mother where he was headed, he left home for the United States.
Contreras didn’t speak English, and he only had a sixth grade education
He climbed onto the roof of a freight train, which was frequently referred to as the “Death Train,” because countless immigrants died or lost limbs trying to hop on or off.
He rode atop of the train for 18 days. He would only get off when he felt safe enough at stops and would sneak off and beg for food and water.
He reached the border of the United States. He was dehydrated, sick and hungry. Contreras went into a Catholic church where he was given food, medicine for his fever and a few dollars, which he used to buy a calling card.
He met up with a smuggler to help him cross into the United States. Contreras and a group of people walked for days until they reached Tuscon, Arizona. His main destination was Georgia, where some of his family lived.
During his journey to Georgia, he was robbed and went days without food. He said he kept going, until eventually, his body gave up and he passed out. He was caught by border patrol.
He was sent to a juvenile detention center in El Paso, Texas, where he was told he’d be held until he turned 18 and then he would be returned to Honduras.
But while he was at the detention center, his ability to play the guitar caught the eye of a missionary couple who visited inmates.
“A few days later, I asked them if there was a way to get me out, and they said, yes. I went home with them, and I basically had a new family in the U.S.,” Contreras said.
With his American family’s help, he became a U.S. citizen, earned his GED diploma and earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from the University of Central Florida.
Contreras decided to move to Charlotte, because he had cousins who lived in the city.
He said he wanted to join the police force because of the violence he saw in Honduras.
Contreras joined the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department in 2014 as a volunteer, and then moved through the ranks. He is assigned to the overnight shift in the Metro Division. He is also certified to translate or write statements for people who don’t know English.
“You see people, you can tell there’s a need, and I, kind of, relate to that,” Contreras said.
He’s working to land a spot on the CMPD unit that’s trying to stop human trafficking.
“I grew up seeing injustice. I grew up seeing crime, and people just getting away with things,” Contreras said.
Contreras said he sends money to his family in Honduras, who now lives in a real house.
He wanted to share his story, because he wanted Americans to understand why so many people will do anything to come to the United States. He also wanted young people to strive for their dreams even though they may seem impossible.
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