BRENTWOOD, Tenn. – A little more than 20 years ago, a police officer in China stumbled across an abandoned baby. He saved the little girl, and she was eventually adopted by a family in U.S. The officer’s heroic actions must have left a large imprint on the girl’s life, because on Monday, June 24, she was one of two highly impressive individuals to be sworn in as Brentwood’s newest police officers.

“You might never have heard such a unique path to being a police officer,” Brentwood Police Chief Richard Hickey, said. During the commission meeting, he shared the story of Maggie Lapolla, who graduated last week from the Tennessee Police Academy. After being rescued and adopted, Lapolla grew up in New Jersey, where her mother served as a municipal court judge and her father was a prosecuting attorney.

“She certainly has a criminal justice background in her family,” Hickey said.

After high school, she attended the University of Maryland, where she was captain of her lacrosse team, and Rowan University, where she earned a degree in law and justice studies. Before joining the BPD, she interned with the Union County Sheriff’s Office in New Jersey.

“She’s a tough one, and we’re proud to have her,” Hickey said.

That same evening, while the Tennessee Volunteers won the College World Series, Hickey also introduced Ethan Dolan as a new BPD officer.

“Ethan was born in Knoxville – Go Vols! – and his family moved to Murfreesboro where he graduated from Blackman High School,” Hickey said.

Dolan enrolled at Middle Tennessee State University, earning both a bachelor’s degree and a Master of Business Administration. Before joining the BPD, he worked in his family’s restaurant business and in the student ministry at his church.

“Today’s actually their first day of field training, so their eyes are wide open and hopefully they’re already having a lot of fun.”

For information on the BPD, visit the department’s website.