Dale Southerland, a dedicated cop, shared his testimony about working as an undercover narcotics agent for 12 years, getting criminals off the streets, and bringing hope to the lost.
Faithful Cop
There were two sides to Dale Southerland’s life for 12 years. He put his life at risk as an undercover drug police officer at night and preached to young people at his church during the day. Dale had to immerse himself in the dark and dangerous world of inner-city crime for his job. He often struggled to balance his faith and his professional life.
“It was especially difficult for me to have both jobs and to walk with the Lord,” he said. “I was a pimp for a while and I was introduced as a pimp so I had these girls around me all the time. And I would be able to try to convince guys to trust me because they could sell drugs to me because I was a pimp.”
Faithful Cop Spreads The Gospel While Fighting Crimes
Dale felt called to serve urban youth when he was in his early 20s. Despite not having much experience with life on the streets, as he grew up in a Christian home in a secure area, he decided to attend Bible College for a few years before going to the police school in Washington, DC.
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The plan was to work on the force for a few years and then become a minister full-time, but that did not happen. Dale did his first undercover case not long after he graduated from the police school. It not only led to an arrest but also changed Dale’s view of his faith and his job as a police officer.
“I constantly knew this sin, it was ruining their life and the lives of others. And so there was a big picture thing here and each individual mattered,” he said.
Two Worlds
He stayed with the police because of this. Over the next few years, Dale would catch hundreds of criminals and share the message with them from time to time. In 1993, he and an informant were late to a drug deal. They were supposed to meet about 45 minutes earlier when they arrived. His companion got out of the car to find the men, but they ended up killing him. Dale later found out that the plan was to kill both of them had they been on time.
Dale then made up his mind that he would not miss another chance to share the love of Christ.
“The truth is they need Christ, and they are very open to the gospel if people would just talk to them,” he said.
Many of the people he caught would reject his message of hope, but some would eventually come to believe in Jesus Christ. One such person was Javier, who used to sell drugs.
Watch his story below:
Reference: The 700 Club
Header image: Dale testifying [The 700 Club]. YouTube, 3 March 2024, https://youtu.be/epl52-9VwBQ