Officer Teague completes the assignment.
Uh oh. A cop was at the door. And he was looking for Majesty Whitaker.
Majesty, an 11-year-old student at Davis Magnet School, was in his room watching Youtube videos when the bell rang Monday afternoon at his home off Putnam Avenue.
“Go downstairs,” his father Levon Whitaker called out.
So Majesty went to the door to greet the uniformed police officer who had rung the bell.
“I thought I was in trouble,” Majesty recalled.
The Hamden cop, Steven Teague Jr., told Majesty he had heard some reports about him. For instance: Majesty had just earned all As in school. And last weekend he scored two touchdowns as a wide receiver in a Pop Warner 203-versus-860 (as in area code) football tournament, earning MVP honors. (One TD capped an 82-yard run.)
“Your pop — he’s an inspiration to so many. And you are as well,” Teague told Majesty.
By this point Majesty had surmised that he was not getting arrested.
“I have a 3‑year-old son — I want you to look out for him too,” Teague continued. “You’re doing so well. I’m so proud of you.”
Officer Teague came equipped with a plastic bag, from which he now retrieved a pair of sneakers.
“I love sneakers,” he informed Majesty. “That’s my thing. Any time I have sneakers, I’m good.”
Teague kept pulling out sneakers — three pairs in all. He gave each to Majesty. Including a pair of gently used Jordan Ones (worn once or twice).
Jordan Ones happen to be Majesty’s favorite. And he happens to wear the same sneaker size as Teague, 8 1/2.
Of course, there was a catch. Jordan Ones don’t come for free.
“You just got to promise me you’re going to continue to do good in school, be loving, be caring, be passionate about your craft,” Teague requested. “All right?
“And keep that smile.
“All right?”
“All right,” Majesty responded.
“All right,” Teague repeated.
Dad Levon, meanwhile, was capturing the encounter on video, which he subsequently posted on Instagram. (You can watch it above.)
Levon (who also goes by Majesty) had set up the encounter.
Maya McFadden File Photo
Levon "Majesty" Whitaker giving Scott Martin a cut at Transformerz.
Whitaker has known Teague for years. Teague gets his hair cut at Whitaker’s New Haven barbershop, Transformerz. (Click here to read and watch a previous “Word on the Street” interview with him at the barbershop.) They run into each other at youth sports games.
Teague came into the shop with the gift of the sneakers for Whitaker’s son after Whitaker told him about his son’s success in the classroom and on the field.
Whitaker asked Teague to deliver the sneakers in person to his son. He knew it would have an impact on him. He wanted his son to feel special about his accomplishments. He also wanted his son, he said, to grow up “comfortable to see an officer in blue, not to think every officer is a threat out there.”
Steven Teague Jr. didn’t need any convincing. That’s why he became a cop, he said.
Steven Teague Jr. (with son Carter) at his Hamden police swearing-in, January 2020.
Teague, who is 31 and grew up in Hamden, didn’t plan to become a cop. His dad was a cop, now retired New Haven Sgt. Steven Teague Sr.
Steve Jr. liked playing sports, working with kids, and being out in the community. So he studied sports management and human services at Southern Connecticut State University. He did an internship at New Haven parks and recreation. After graduation, he worked in a violence prevention program at Hill Center School. Then he took a position at the Children’s Center working with kids struggling with drug and alcohol problems.
Then one day his dad told him the New Haven police were recruiting officers. He suggested his son apply. The son took the suggestion. He saw it as another way to work with young people and the community at large.
“He talked to me about how you can make a difference in the community. There was always a tone of my voice that was calming. I brought that to my street,” Teague Jr. recalled.
“My job doesn’t stress me out — I don’t look at it that somebody’s a bad kid or somebody’s a bad person. I look at it that they may be misguided. I always say to myself: What if I grew up in a situation where I had no father or my mother was on drugs? What would I do? You have to look at someone using vulgar language — They’re not mad at you. They’re mad at the situation they were in” and “facing dark times.”
Teague Jr. worked three and a half years in New Haven before Hamden — which has been poaching promising young cops trained in New Haven, especially cops of color — snapped him up in 2020.
Teague’s after-duty call to Majesty’s shop reflects the approach he brings to the job, new Hamden Acting Police Chief Tim Wydra said.
“That’s what Steve is. This all came about when he was at a barber shop off duty. But he still had his mind working and thinking.
“I would love to have ten more Steve Teagues. He’s that type of a police officer, the type of a person who has that thought for others. You can’t teach at the police academy. It’s innate. We love him in Hamden.”
Teague said he’s happy where his, as well. Especially on days like Monday, when he could complete his shift and then head over to make a kid’s day with a bag of Jordans.
“Anytime we can enlighten a kid and show them a simple smile, a simple hug, a simple gesture and commend good work they’re doing,” he said, “that’s what it’s all about.”
Majesty, meanwhile, has plans to put the Jordans to work: Despite his gridiron prowess, he has an eye on an NBA career, as a point guard.