As sergeant of the Napa City Police Department, Andrew Hess puts his life on the line every day. From the army to the police department, Hess lives his life day-to-day facing chaotic problems and sensitive cases. He works through the night, Monday through Friday while taking on overtime day shifts on the weekends. While on duty 9pm-7am five days a week, Hess experiences unpredictability to the fullest.
Roughly 16 years ago, Hess and his family invested millions of dollars in stocks. They could have cashed out at any time but became greedy. The uncertainty of the stock market proved to be fatal. As it crashed, Hess and his family lost every cent of their millions. Shocked and devastated, Hess began to live a life burdened with anger and depression. His wife Jodi admits, “this was a large hit on his ego because men have a hard time when they can’t provide for their family.” After some time, he made the decision that he would stop moping around full of self-pity, and instead channel his anger and emotions into helping others. Hess never had strong hopes of being in law enforcement, but he turned to public service anyways and joined the police academy. Hess was in the army in his early years and his father was a police officer; rationally this decision made sense.
In 2014, Hess would begin a case that will stick with him forever. Police discovered 3-year-old girl, Kayleigh, dead in her apartment. An officer gave a horrifying testimony in court as he explained the way Kayleigh’s lifeless body was tucked in her bed. Blood coming from her nostrils and bruises covering the 3-year-old’s corpse, she was ice cold from her mother storing her body in the freezer. As the lead detective on the case, Sgt. Hess was recently in court this last May for the Kayleigh Slusher murder trial. Krueger’s mother and boyfriend are being tried for murder with a special allegation of torture and child abuse. This case hits close to home for Hess as he has a daughter himself. “In law enforcement, police look for healthy ways to cope with trauma,” Hess explains. Because of this, he partakes in Blue Ribbon Month with fellow officers, a month dedicated to a national campaign to prevent child abuse.
From police officer to detective to sergeant, Andrew Hess has realized that he can’t see himself doing anything else with his career and life. When not on duty, Sgt. Hess spends time with his wife and two children. As he continues to move up in the police department, Hess looks forward to his future of helping people one day at a time, just as many nonprofits continue to do.