After nearly 27 years with the Everett Police Department, Officer Danny Rabelos is preparing to take off the badge. “I’m at almost 26 and a half,” he said, reflecting on how close he is to that 27-year mark.

For Rabelos, the number isn’t about rank or awards, it’s about the people he’s met and the lives he’s changed along the way. “I want to be different than my parents,” he said.

Growing up, he saw things that people normally don’t have to deal with. “You grew up in a cycle of not a good environment and so I wanted to do something different and also get back to my community.”

As a kid in a not-so-friendly neighborhood during the ‘70s, ‘80s and early ‘90s, he didn’t trust the officers back then. “I didn’t like police officers growing up because when you grow up in a poor community, they weren’t the best,” he said.

Instead of turning away from policing, he decided to become the kind of officer he wished he had seen when he was younger. “I wanted to be a police officer where people thought of me much differently and inspired people.”

He still remembers how nervous he felt starting out. “I will never forget my first traffic stop. I finished our training early, so they sent me out a month early,” he said with a smile on his face. “I remember from the first day on the job being super nervous because you didn’t have somebody there right next to you to make sure you were doing it right.”

At the time, he said many officers weren’t as friendly and outgoing as they are today. “A lot of cops were stone-faced, wouldn’t talk to people. You call 911, you get it handled really quick, you leave.”

That wasn’t how Rabelos wanted to work. “When I started, I was very community-oriented and that’s how I have support from our community,” he said. “The guy you see today is who I was almost 27 years ago.”

Over the years, that approach has become his identity. “I draw a lot of attention to me, whether I’m talking to people, hugging people, interacting with people.” He believes trust is built in small moments. “One of my favorite things to do is just inspire people to change, bring trust to where people will feel like, ‘Hey, I can walk up to a cop, I can talk to a cop, I can give a cop a hug.”

For Rabelos, protecting people goes beyond making arrests. “You can protect people by inspiring change,” he said. “You’re protecting that individual, but then you’re also protecting your community.” He testifies that simple kindness can save lives. “Part of the reason being kind to everybody is you never know what somebody’s going through, just a hug or a smile could save somebody’s life.”

His wife, Michelle Golden, sees that same kindness during the 16 years they’ve been married. “He goes out of his way for a stranger,” she said. “Say we’re at the grocery store and someone’s going to check out and their card declines, he will step up and pay for the groceries.” She believes that mindset explains his long career. “He will always put everybody else first over himself. I think that’s why he was so successful in so many years of being a police officer.”

To her, that’s just who he is. “His smile, his hug — he’s a really good hugger — just his genuine nature,” she said. She believes those simple qualities are what the police department is going to miss most about her husband. “I’m super proud of who he is as a human.”

After years of worrying about his job, she feels some relief. “I don’t have to worry about it anymore,” she said. “He can start to work on relaxing a little bit more, I’m excited for him.”

One thing Rabelos picked up towards the end of his policing career was photography. “I run the police Instagram and I was taking pictures with my iPhone, but other photographers kept telling me to stop taking iPhone pictures and get a camera.” Once he got a camera, people wanted to see him put his skills to the test. “Now people hire me to do photo shoots. People like what work I did and photographers saying that I needed to do it.”

However, jobs like being a police officer come with consequences, even for Rabelos. “I physically struggle in the line of duty. I’ve broken my neck, I’ve had multiple shoulder surgeries, I’ve had multiple other injuries,” Rabelos said. “You see things that nobody should have to see, then you carry that with you.”

A remedy for him is seeing the station’s wellness coordinator. “I do therapy. That’s another thing that’s changing about policing,” he said, adding that officers are encouraged to take care of their mental health. Even so, “No matter how much therapy you have, it will carry with you probably for the rest of your life.”

Despite the pain and struggles, he says it has been worth it. “The hardest thing is the physical pain and the mental pain I deal with, but with all the people’s lives that I’ve touched, are inspired, are saved, every bit of pain that I deal with is worth it.”

“Being on the job, you interact with people who are probably having the worst day of their lives,” he said. Even that won’t stop Rabelos from protecting the city of Everett. “I have had people spit in my face, assault me, they assume that I’m a horrible person because I’m doing this job,” he said. “Protecting and serving is even for those people that hate us to the core.” He tells them, “I’m sorry you feel that way, but know this, I would give my life for you even though you hate me.”

The hard work that he does for the community is shown in all of the awards he’s won over the years. However, he brushes them off. “That’s nothing,” he said. “The proudest thing is knowing that I saved people’s lives.”

Rabelos is not just proud of the years he’s served, but the impact he’s made on the community. Two years ago, he was featured on the national TV show, “On Patrol Live,” where viewers watched him doing his job in real time. “Two years ago, I was on TV and impacted a nation (in) the way I do policing.” The show gave people across the country a look at how he serves and protects his community every day.

Officer Al Ferreira, a longtime colleague of Danny’s on the force, has worked alongside him for five years.

“I’ve known Danny since I came to the department, so five years,” Ferreira said. “He’s the kind of guy everybody seems to know.”

When things get tough, Ferreira says there’s no one he’d rather have by his side. “As a police officer, if you needed help, Danny’s the guy I want coming,” he said. “He’s gonna jump in with both fists and both barrels, he’s not gonna hesitate.”

But Ferreira adds that Rabelos is more than just tough, he’s empathic and understanding.

“He understands that life sucks sometimes and people make bad choices, but he’s not going to treat you badly for it,” he said. “He’s got a lot of real-world experience and he understands how the real world works and understands that just because people make mistakes or do bad things, it doesn’t mean they’re necessarily bad people, that’s his approach.”

Above all, Ferreira says Rabelos always puts people first. “He’s going to treat you like a human being first, regardless of what the circumstances are.”

Now that Rabelos is nearing the end of his career as a police officer, he’s hoping to spend more time with his family and enjoy relaxing. He also hopes to recover from the amount of physical and mental stress that the job presents.

“I’ve impacted more people than I ever imagined,” Rabelos said. “It’s a great time to leave.”