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Cowan took the class during his sophomore, junior, and senior years, eventually serving as a teacher\u2019s aide to help Young introduce younger students to criminal justice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After graduation, his path took a detour. He initially enrolled in a technical school out of town but quickly realized it was not a good fit. What he really wanted was back in Fayetteville.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Cowan came back home and joined the Lincoln County Sheriff\u2019s Department, spending two years as a corrections officer before moving to patrol. The experience of working in the jail had a major impact on him. A supervisor named Robbie Brooks, who has since passed away, pulled him aside during a frustrating and difficult time on the job. The advice she gave him that day made all the difference for him at the jail and has stuck with him through every other position he has held in the department.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cShe told me, \u2018Treat people the way they need to be treated. Whether they\u2019ve done good or bad, if you still treat them like people, you\u2019ll have a much easier time doing this job,\u201d Cowan said. \u201cThat just kind of clicked for me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n About two and a half years after he joined the Fayetteville Police Department as a patrol officer, Cowan began working alongside K-9 handler Andy Rodriguez, who was working closely with a new dog named Bosco. Cowan began asking questions about the K-9 unit, and Rodriguez invited him to join him in the training sessions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHe was like, \u2018My truck leaves my driveway at 6 o\u2019clock. If you want to be there, you\u2019d better be there,\u201d Cowan said. \u201cAnd I think for six months straight, I was in his driveway at 6 o\u2019clock every morning.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cowan did this voluntarily, soaking up all the information, learning the procedures, and participating in the training drills. Because of his dedication, he was able to log many training hours. The trainers at Madison County did not hold back because they needed to fully prepare officers for this special level of service. Cowan says they pointed out to him that this field of work was demanding and that he needed to get in shape if he was going to keep up with the dogs. He took the advice seriously, adjusting his diet and running more consistently until he had lost 90 pounds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When a K-9 position opened up, Cowan eagerly applied, and Rodriguez gave him Bosco, a 3-year-old German shepherd who had already been through the program. Cowan found himself trying to keep up with a dog who already knew the job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHe was on one page of the book, and I was still trying to figure out how to open it,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s crazy now to look back to where we were and to the struggles we had, when now we really just click together.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bosco is a dual-purpose dog, trained in both drug and narcotics detection and apprehension work. Cowan and Bosco have assisted with warrant service, tracking, missing-person searches, and school sweeps. Their bond is a special one, and when Bosco eventually retires from service, Cowan will take him home for good.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The pair holds a national certification that would allow them to work anywhere in the country, but Cowan doesn\u2019t intend to leave the home he loves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI grew up in this community. I care about it,\u201d he said. \u201cI want anybody in our community to feel like they can come up and talk to me at any time.\u201d GN<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In his freshman year of high school, Officer Bailey Cowan resisted the idea of going into law enforcement, but his mother convinced him to take just one criminal justice class to try it out. He finally gave in and registered for the class during his sophomore year, and that decision shaped his future more than […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":38,"featured_media":26470,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":"","_members_access_role":[],"_members_access_error":""},"categories":[69,6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-26466","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fayetteville","category-feature"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/goodnewsmags.com\/fayetteville\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/09\/Photo-submitted-by-Bailey-Cowan-1024x683.jpg\")
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