Kurt Davis' father told him that when problems arose, if he was not part of the solution, he would just be a part of the problem.
Davis took that advice to heart and he set out to become a police officer in Carson City 21 years ago.
"At that time, things were changing in this town," he said. "Or maybe I was just growing up enough to see the town with new eyes and I realized people here victimize other people. That was wrong and it really made me angry."
Serving more than two decades patrolling Carson's Streets, both in a car and on a motorcycle, he was promoted last week to sergeant and is now working in the jailhouse.
He is taking advantage of the small pleasures of being off of the streets.
"We have locker rooms," he said. "That is such a luxury for me."
Having a locker room allows the officers to change in and out of their uniforms at work instead of at home. He said there are times when being a police officer can feel like carrying around an enormous load.
"When you take the uniform off, it takes part of the load off," he said. "You're still a police officer but you don't have to have the immediate response that you do when you're in uniform."
He told of a time when he had to cover a wreck where a woman was badly injured. He administered first aid and ended up with blood covering the front of his shirt and pants.
"On patrol, there's no place to change into a clean uniform," he said.
Although he is more accustomed to street work, he is adjusting to working in the jail.
"It's controlled. It's contained. It's a fast pace, but it's not overwhelming," he said. "I could see myself here for another four or five years easily."
However, he said if the department formed a special services unit that includes the motorcycle division, he would like the opportunity to supervise it.
"I'd take it in a heartbeat," he said. "Then I'd get my motor(cycle) back."
Motorcycles are as much a part of Davis' life as being a cop.
He got his first motorcycle when he was fourteen. He rode it every day to the Carson Nugget where he worked as a bus boy.
He now teaches a motorcycle safety course at Western Nevada Community College.
"It is such a feeling of freedom. There's a total focus when you're on a motorcycle," he said. "It's my art form."
It was his motorcycle that brought him and his fiancee, Donna Caputo, together.
He met Caputo, a nurse, while donating blood. Over the years of going in to donate, he talked to her about his motorcycle and how it helped him release his tension.
After two years, she asked for a ride.
"Things just kind of happened from there," he said. The two are set to be married Oct. 4.
Davis came up with a few ideas for the honeymoon including a condo in Maui, a trip to Tahiti or an Orlando vacation. She opted for none of the above.
Instead, they are going to ride their motorcycles up the coast along Highway 1.
"She's absolutely the perfect match for me," Davis said.
Their connection goes beyond the love of motorcycles, however. Davis said that, as a nurse, she understands the life he lives from a different perspective.
His job has shaped the man that he is.
"It has given me a sense of accomplishment because of the changes I have seen in this town," he said. "Being a little part of the respect and appreciation of our officers and for the law itself, makes me very proud."
However, his pride did not come without a price.
"It has cost me some personally because of the changes I've had to make and the way I see people sometimes," he said. "To see the things that people do to each other and the meanness they can treat each other with makes me sad."
But, to him, it is worth it.
"When I see someone who has been a victim and has been vindicated by the justice system and they don't have to live with the fear that they had before, it makes it all worthwhile," he said. "When I can see that we've restored trust, that's when I realize it's worth it."
Law enforcement runs in his blood. His father was the state hearings officer, his older brother was a lawyer and his younger brother and sister-in-law are both police sergeants as well.
It is not an easy life.
"Some of the ways I've seen people leave this world is very ugly," he said. "It's a very real part of this job."
He has also seen death in a very personal way. He lost his older brother nine years ago in plane crash.
Davis learned to accept his brother's death because he died doing something he loved.
"If you have to go in a violent way, hopefully it's doing something you enjoy."
Looking back, he wouldn't change anything.
"I have no regrets," he said. "I have no reason to change anything in the past. The past is there for us to learn from."
He said his 11-year-old daughter and 17-year-old step-daughter from a previous marriage keep him motivated in his desire a change the world - a desire he feels he's been able to accomplish.
"However small my contribution, as long as I've been able to help one person turn their life around - whether it was a victim given the opportunity to see an aggressor get their dues or whether it was a suspect that realized that this wasn't a good course of action - then yes, absolutely, I have made a difference," he said.