Feb 2024. Blues Vol 40 No. 2

A Gift for Media

A Gift for Media Relations and a Vision is Born During my last three years with Pearland, I worked as both an officer and a business owner as I started Cop Stop in May of 2003. The Chief of Police also appointed me to create the public information division of the Pearland Police Department. Prior to my role as the public information officer, my supervisor addressed this need and then asked if I would consider doing it on a regular basis. There were some incidents in Pearland, and I happened to be in the area. I always joked that they scanned the area and said, “oh there’s Fernandez,” let us ask him and see if he could manage the media! With the support of the Chief, I managed both the PIO role and my business for about three and a half years as I had this flexibility. A Family Affair My family has been incredibly instrumental in my success. My mom, Olga, worked at the store behind the counter while I was at the police department. She was retired so she wanted to help. She had no knowledge of public safety, no knowledge of the product, but it was very impressive how she learned it. I now have a glimpse of the things we do for our kids since I now have a wife, Natalie, and two sons, Nick, and Cristian. What really made this possible was not only my mom behind the counter, but also my grandparents. They were the driving force for me to take the full-time step to grow the business. They believed in me. I will never forget my grandfather looking at me one afternoon at my parent’s house and asking, “why don’t you do it”? With a ,000 loan from my grandfather, the decision was made. I remember feeling excited and having the passion, but the Lord had really guided me to this. This is how Cop Stop officially started and I will never forget the moment I turned on the open sign for the first time. Natalie remains our Chief Financial Officer, is also incredibly involved in the business. She, and our sons, have been a true gift in this journey. 70 The Blues - February ‘24

The Blues - February ‘24 71