LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — "I'm super happy to be here on both ends, as an officer and as a coach," stated Laquedra Parks. "I get many kids that tell me, 'Hey, what do I have to do to be an officer?'"
From being first to a crime scene to coaching on the sidelines, Laquedra Parks is pulling double duty.
"I made a career jump. I was working with the county marshall over downtown, and I ended up coaching here," said Parks of Clark High School. "I really loved that atmosphere and gaining the relationships with the kids."
In her second season as Clark's head coach, Parks has already etched her name in the history books, leading the Chargers to their first state title in school history.
"Our season this year, we went 10-0. So, we were undefeated. We set history here for Clark this year," she said.
"It's a legacy that the girls are leaving. I tell them that. Make history, leave a legacy. Something that you could come back home to and give back to the next generations to come."
But this championship coach is doing more than making history on the court, she's making a difference in the community.
Her inspiration to become a police officer was born from her desire to inspire change.
"I was in school in Oklahoma and that was around the time that things were transpiring for law enforcement," she said. "For me, I made it back home and was in the county marshall, but I just wanted to find that niche of where I'd fit and where I was going to be impactful and make that change."
Parks is the definition of a true "hometown" hero.
"Clark is special to me," said Parks. "I went to Cashman [Middle School], so I grew up around this area. It's special to me that I get to come back and give."
