Many people struggle to find balance between family, career, religious, civic and personal responsibilities, but Silver Brown has found the key to striking that balance by focusing on a life of service.
The veteran Utah Highway Patrol trooper has dedicated himself to pursuit of his childhood dream. As a young Samoan growing up in Hawaii, Brown always looked up to police officers because of the example they set and the service rendered to the community. Since that time Brown has gone on to become a leading patrolman with the UHP.
“My dream came true, and now it’s 13 years later,” Brown said, smiling as he reflected on his career as a police officer. His 13 years of service with law enforcement have taught him a lot about himself and provided the opportunity to serve others, he said.
Those who know Brown best also acknowledge the large part service plays in his life.
Terri Brown, Brown’s wife of 14 years, explained that her husband loves to serve the community, his fellow troopers, neighbors and his family. “The Lord carries him though what he’s supposed to do because what he loves to do is serve,” she said.
“I don’t know anyone who is more willing to serve than Silver,” said Jeff Larsen, a close family friend and neighbor to the Browns. Larsen and Silver Brown have worked together in many endeavors, including coaching football at Provo High School.
Silver Brown attributes his desire to serve to members of his extended family, who have served by wearing the uniform, whether for military, police or security detail. “Having that uniform in my life sparked an interest that continued on,” he said.
After serving an LDS mission in Japan, Silver Brown chased his dream of becoming a police officer to Utah, where he studied criminal justice at Snow College and Southern Utah University.
After his time at SUU, he was recruited to join the Utah Police Corps Academy. While at the academy, he honed his skills and received the Top Gun award for his skill with firearms. Upon graduation, he accepted a position with the UHP.
“The most exciting assignment I’ve had was the DUI squad,” Silver Brown said, adding that the assignment helped him gain a lot of confidence in himself. He was responsible for stopping and arresting intoxicated individuals and then testifying against them in court. “The DUI squad became my passion,” he said.
During his time on the squad, Silver Brown was selected to be the face of an anti-drunk-driving campaign, which included life-sized cutouts of him being posted in bars across the state. He now keeps one of those cutouts in his garage.
“I get a good chuckle every time I see that cutout of him in his garage,” Larsen said. When the Browns’ neighbors drive by the house, they often confuse the cutout as Brown himself. “I think it might actually be a little bigger than life size but he’ll disagree,” Larsen said.
Silver Brown’s other assignments with the UHP have included protecting the state capitol and the governor. He currently patrols Utah County, where he oversees everything that happens on the roads. He also serves as a reserve officer on the BYU police force.
“There is nothing my husband can’t do,” Terri Brown said. “He is always the one to take care of and watch over people.”
Silver Brown said the most challenging part of his job is seeing the attitude of many of the people he deals with. He explained that many young people have no respect for law enforcement.
“I want to continue to teach my children the way I was taught,” he said, adding that respect is an important attribute in the his own home. He is striving to teach his children respect for women, the elderly and men and women who wear the uniform.
Larsen said it must be difficult for Silver Brown to physically and mentally balance his career with his other responsibilities, but the officer does so in an unwavering manner.
Because his job often takes him away from home in the evenings, Silver Brown makes extra effort to have meaningful time to spend with his family. “When I’m done with work, work is done. I leave it at work,” he said.
“He works so hard to balance our family and work,” Terri Brown said.
When not patrolling, Silver Brown enjoys spending time at home, including doing yard work and helping his wife clean the house. He knows some men may not enjoy cleaning the house, but he finds satisfaction in doing so. “My area of expertise is the bathroom and the kitchen,” he said.
He plans to continue to enjoy his career: “I love what I do,” he said, adding that he doesn’t plan to become complacent and idle. “I want to continue to enjoy my job like the first day I started.”
He also hopes to enjoy spending time with his children while they are young, teaching and guiding them throughout their journey.
Silver Brown also looks forward to the upcoming Provo City Center Temple open house beginning January 2016. He has been selected by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to serve as the head of security for that event.
