Twin brothers sworn in to Downey Police Department
DOWNEY — No, you don’t need to take a double take; two of Downey’s newest officers are – in fact – twins.
There have already been some jokes shared by brothers Jun and Jin Park Yun’s fellow officers about not being able to tell one from another.
At first introduction, Jin is the more introverted, Jun is the talker. But ask the brothers, and they’ll offer a few more differences.
“As far as our appearance goes, Jun is a lot more bigger,” said Jin. “He’s more fit, more smart. He’s like my big brother; I look up to him a lot.”
Jun doesn’t totally agree.
“I have a lot of positive things to say about my brother as well,” said Jun. “I think he’s intelligent; I think he’s more intelligent than me, matter of fact. He’s very fast; he does a lot of cardio and stuff like that. We work out together.
“To tell us apart, I think Jin has a smaller face compared to mine; I’ve just got 20 more pounds on him.”
Jun and Jin, both 22, graduated from Golden West Police Academy on Dec. 14, and were subsequently sworn into DPD.
Both brothers call it “a dream come true” to be working together in Downey.
“We both wanted to work for the same agency, representing the same patch,” said Jun.
According to Jun, both brothers, who emigrated from South Korea during their fifth-grade year, had their eyes set on careers in law enforcement at a very young age, having been inspired by their grandfather who was an officer and Korean War veteran.
“We grew up listening to his honorable stories wanting to be just like him, protecting and serving our community as a police officer,” said Jun. “Our dad was also a first sergeant in the army in Korea, so we just kind of wanted to pursue our career that way, serving people.”
Jin says that their tight bond is “really helpful.”
“As brothers working in the same agency, I’m very appreciative to Downey for this awesome opportunity,” said Jin. “Being able to share what we’re going through, and the call for service, that we actually go out to help people. It’s really awesome to share ideas, thoughts, and also motivate each other.”
Jun described their relationship as “like best friends” with “A super tight bond.”
“We are super close,” said Jun. “We help each other, we motivate each other. We kind of compete in a very good way.”
Right now, Jun and Jin are focused on successfully passing their six months of field training. They’ve expressed thankfulness to their trainers, and are enthusiastic for hopefully long careers in Downey.
“I have a lot to say, but I just love [Downey Police Department],” said Jun. “Just the motto itself, “Our community, our commitment.” It really touches my heart that Downey Police Department is very family oriented. It’s not too big or two small, and also has a lot to offer as far as opportunity goes…”
He continued:
“All the officers here who I interact with are very, very friendly, very professional, very helpful, and very supportive.”
Jin added that he and his brother feel “included.”
“We feel like we’re part of a Downey family,” said Jin.
Jun and Jin said it was their “honor and privilege to be here in this position where we’re at today.”
“Without Downey, we wouldn’t be here today.”