Trudy Jacobson Presents: Danielle Delgado, Law Enforcement Officer And Owner Of Relentless Defender
Danielle pursued a career in law enforcement and entrepreneurship. But everything changed after her father passed away.
Danielle Delgado always admired her father. He spent an incredible 43 years in the law enforcement profession. Her father’s decision to spend a lifetime serving the community resonated with Danielle who then became a law enforcement officer herself.
“There was a picture of him with some of his SWAT guys, SWAT friends, and this was back in ’94. We had a picture of him [and his SWAT guys] with this great big smile and me seeing that smile when I was younger made me want to get into law enforcement,” she said.
Following the path of a parent is a road many people take. Danielle knew she made the right decision and enjoyed serving the community.
But everything took a major turn after her father passed away in 2021.
Since then, Danielle has struggled personally, and the passing of her father still impacts her today. However, she found relief and is in a far better place.
Going through that experience, she knows how difficult it can be for anyone in a similar position.
“I don’t know if there’s a right answer for anyone that is struggling. You have to find your own way with how you’re going to deal with the grief process or any type of trauma that people are going through,” Danielle said.
Part of her process of healing was to focus on her son. It gave her hope, although her son could still see through the pain.
“I got tired of him asking me ‘Mom, are you mad?’ and I wasn’t mad. I was just trying to figure out how to deal with my grief from losing my dad. And I wasn’t mad, I was just sad and I didn’t know how to deal with it,” she said.
Trudy chose Danielle to be featured as a Great American Woman because her story was real. “Admitting that you don’t know how to deal with something is not a sign of incompetence, it’s a sign of strength, and that’s what I love about Danielle,” Trudy said.
Relentless Defender and C.O.P.S
Danielle is more than just a law enforcement officer. She is an entrepreneur and one of the owners of the most widely known apparel companies in the law enforcement, first responder, and military community – Relentless Defender.
Her company is known for charitable contributions to organizations such as C.O.P.S, or Concerns of Police Survivors. But she never thought she was going to need C.O.P.S.
“I never thought that I was going to become a survivor. That was never in the back of my head like ‘you’re going to be one of these people’. They were very supportive throughout the whole process and without them, I don’t necessarily think that I would’ve been able to make it through that whole process because it’s actually people that have gone through the same type of grief, same type of trauma,” Danielle said. “They knew exactly what to say… when to say it, and what I needed to hear at that time. They’re a great organization and I stand by them [C.O.P.S] wholeheartedly.”
Trudy added, “Too many people avoid their pain and cope with it in destructive ways. But not Danielle. She found a way that made her into a much better person. And that’s truly inspiring. Let this be a reminder to women everywhere that there are always better days ahead – if you pursue them.”
Philanthropic Work
Danielle can be seen spending her time at the police station with local children suffering from various illnesses like cancer. Her department invites children to the police headquarters so they can get a firsthand look at what it takes to properly run a police department.
The experience helps these children – but it also helps Danielle put things into perspective.
“Just seeing the smiles on their faces, seeing how positive, even going through s*** that they’re going through, they’re such an inspiration to me. How can I complain about my situation when they’re dealing with something that I couldn’t even imagine at this point,” Danielle said.
She now has the attitude of never giving up and always continuing to fight no matter what the circumstances are.
Advice fit for anyone.
To learn more about Concerns of Police Survivors visit www.concernsofpolicesurvivors.org
To check out Danielle’s apparel company ReLEntless Defender go to https://relentlessdefender.com
Who is Trudy Jacobson?
Trudy is an entrepreneur and leader. Her path to success and entrepreneurialism started in the trucking industry decades ago. She encountered numerous obstacles in the male-dominated industry- like discrimination. She was even defrauded out of a lot of money by an unscrupulous, opportunistic person. Despite all that, Trudy always fought hard and pushed forward. Once she realized she could do anything, she started her own company and excelled. Now she empowers other women to do the same and to learn from her experience. Trudy now highlights their stories for the world to see in the Great American Women Series. Trudy wants women everywhere to know they can achieve their goals.
