If there is one word to describe Joey Getherall as a standout punt returner for Notre Dame in 1997-2000, it would be fearless.

The 5-foot-7 Getherall abhorred the fair catch. He welcomed pressure and wanted to get into the fray, trusting his instincts to make split-second decisions. And the results were remarkable. He returned 49 punts for 598 yards, an average of 12.2 yards. His senior year, he averaged an astounding 16.3 yards on 24 returns, taking two to the house. 

He was a reliable receiver for the Irish as well, snaring 74 passes for 1,059 yards and eight touchdowns, while adding another three scores on 15 rushing attempts. 

After a brief look at pro football, Getherall would make a career choice that called upon those abilities to withstand intense pressure and make quick decisions. In 2005, he entered the family business: law enforcement. His father and sister were detectives. Two brothers-in-law and his godfather were also in law enforcement.

Barely a year after joining the Los Angeles Police Department, Joey was serving in an anti-gang violence unit when he and another officer were wearing plain clothes and driving in an unmarked car. As they passed four men, one said something to the undercover officers, took out a gun, and shot at them. Getherall and his partner fired back, and the men went off in different directions. The officers called for backup. Two assailants were apprehended, arrested, and charged with attempted murder.

“As a young police officer, I don’t think you’re ever told that people are going to try to kill you,” Getherall says. The shooters had thought Getherall and his fellow officer were members of a rival gang. “It’s sad that we live in a society where they shoot at people just because you’re wearing the wrong color or you’re in the wrong neighborhood.”

In his 18 years with the LAPD, Getherall has worked as a Patrol Officer, Special Problems Unit Officer, Gang Officer, Field Training Officer, and Senior Lead Officer. He has received approximately 150 officer commendations for work ethic, serving the community, and commendable arrests.  He also received the Police Star Award for saving the life of a fellow LAPD Officer from an armed suspect who had just shot him.

Through it all, Joey appreciates the opportunity to serve others. “That’s the biggest thing, to help people in need—helping out in any way, knowing that in a second’s notice, that we have to risk our lives for people,” he says.

For the past nine years, Officer Getherall has worked as a K-9 Handler with the Explosive Detection Canine Section of the Emergency Services Division, which is under LAPD’s Counter Terrorism Special Operations Bureau. The unit protects high profile places such as LAX and large events such as the Oscars. His most recent K-9 partner Trav was a military dog who deployed to Afghanistan. Recently retired, Trav now patrols the Getherall family’s back yard.

“I guess I am wired to help people,” he says. “Because at the end of the day, I think our goal, as people of faith, is service. I think everyone needs to take a long, hard look at themselves and ask themselves: What have they done? Have they made a difference? Have they changed a life?”