Birmingham Police Officer Lane Harper Gives Back to Communities in Need

Lane Harper, executive director of the Power of Life Foundation and an officer with the Birmingham Police Department (BPD) during the Foundation’s Fifth Annual Thanksgiving Turkey Giveaway in Fultondale, Alabama. (Marika N. Johnson, For The Birmingham Times)
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By Sym Posey | The Birmingham Times

When Maria Galindo learned about Lane Harper’s turkey giveaway last week in Fultondale, Alabama, she didn’t waste any time getting to the location. The event was scheduled to begin at 11 a.m.—and Galindo showed up at 7 a.m.

“It’s a blessing,” Galindo said of the giveaway. “Times are hard right now and money is tight. This helps a lot because, unfortunately, I don’t get any kind of benefits [in addition to my] paycheck, and I have three kids and a grandbaby.”

Galindo, of Adamsville, Alabama, was in the first of several hundred vehicles that snaked around Fultondale Elementary School on Nov. 23, 2024, for the Power of Life Foundation’s Fifth Annual Thanksgiving Turkey Giveaway, where people waited for up to five hours to receive one of 750 free turkeys, as well as canned goods and cash stipends.

The Turkey Giveaway is one of several events sponsored by Harper, executive director of the Power of Life Foundation and a Birmingham Police Department (BPD) officer.

According to the organization’s website, poweroflifefoundation.org, “The Power of Life Foundation’s mission is to help an underserved population to empower themselves economically and socially, enhance their health and well-being, and assist them in overcoming hardships. This population includes serving those living at or below the poverty level, women/children, senior citizens, veterans, transients and at-risk youth.”

Lane Harper provides instructions for volunteers at I3Academy ahead of a food giveaway in Fultondale, Alabama. (Marika N. Johnson, For The Birmingham Times)

Closing the Gap

“The Power of Life no longer wants to bridge the gap. We want to close the gap,” said Harper, who was presented with the National Hero Award in April by the National Life Group’s Do Good Heroes program. “We don’t want there to be any gaps, so if your family is struggling or in need of financial services, assistance, … or food, the Power of Life Foundation is here for you.”

Lane Harper, executive director of the Power of Life Foundation and an officer with the Birmingham Police Department. (Marika N. Johnson, For The Birmingham Times)

Being a part of the city’s police force has allowed him to serve his community in ways he never imagined, said Harper, who joined the BPD in 2008.

It’s about protecting and serving, Harper said: “[God] puts you exactly where he needs you because he knows where he’s leading you. So, [as] a police officer, I could protect and serve, but serving comes first from me. I’ll protect you, but you need service. … You need to find police officers that provide service and who have a passion for what they’re doing and dealing with people.”

Harper’s help goes beyond the BPD. He has been part of high-profile security detail teams, including one for former U.S. Secretary of State and Birmingham native Condoleeza Rice; taught self-defense tactics to security firms; run a group home; and worked in the Birmingham city jail, as well as for family court and juvenile detention. His permanent assignment is at the Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport, but most days you can find him in the halls of Jackson-Olin High School.

On the personal level, he’s appeared in a number of films and plays, and he’s a second-degree black belt in Taekwondo, one of the most systematic and scientific Korean traditional martial arts, and a first-degree black belt in Oyama Karate, a classic, full-contact, Japanese style of Karate.”

Lane Harper, executive director of the Power of Life Foundation and an officer with the Birmingham Police Department (BPD) during the Foundation’s Fifth Annual Thanksgiving Turkey Giveaway in Fultondale, Alabama. (Marika N. Johnson, For The Birmingham Times),

Work Ethic

Harper’s community work keeps him busy nearly seven days a week.

Born and raised in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where he and a cousin cleaned up the locker rooms in the university’s Michigan Stadium – “The Big House” — for free, Harper, 53, said his work ethic comes from his parents. His mother, Judith Harper, was a teacher and a nurse, while his father, the Honorable Lubbie Harper Jr., was the third African American to become a justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court.

“[My mother] worked in the school system during the day and at the hospital at night. … [She also] worked with the Peace Corps every year, traveling to Zimbabwe, [where she] taught English in a school during the day and new surgical procedures at night,” Harper said, describing his mother’s work with the agency that “provides an opportunity for Americans to serve their country and their world,” according to PeaceCorps.gov.

Harper’s parents divorced when he was around 5 years old, he said: “At the time, I didn’t fully understand what was happening. I thought we simply had two homes with each parent responsible for their own space. … Our family remained close, and we saw my dad frequently. Both of my parents are hardworking, motivated individuals who value accomplishments, which would sometimes lead to challenges in their relationships. Despite this, I found the experience manageable.”

One important lesson Harper learned from his parents’ divorce is that, “regardless of adult disagreements, parents should always prioritize their children and maintain strong family bonds,” he said.

“I realized that children should stay in their rightful place, observing and learning from their parents while striving to rise above any conflicts,” Harper added. “I love both of my parents, and our family remains tight knit, with faith providing protection and guidance through it all.”

Harper has a 33-year-old daughter who is in the U.S. Marines and an 18-year-old son who is attending the University of Alabama. Of his children, he said, “They’re both doing extremely well. My son is studying to be a biomolecular engineer, and my daughter is a master sergeant in the military.”

Lessons from a Legend

Another contributor to Harper’s work ethic is a legendary figure in the Ann Arbor community—University of Michigan head football coach Glenn Edward “Bo” Schembechler Jr., who led the Wolverines from 1969 to 1989.

“My cousin and I walked into this store, … and [Coach Schembechler was there]. He watched us, noticed that we needed something, and blessed us with clothing. He gave us gloves, hats, Michigan jackets. … Even the boots [we got] had Michigan on them.”

From that day forward, Coach Schembechler allowed Harper and his cousin to enter the university’s Michigan Stadium for free to clean up the locker rooms, get the players cleats, and hang up their shoulder pads before they played.

“[Coach Schembechler] allowed us to clean up the stadium,” Harper recalled. “In Michigan, every can is worth 10 cents and every bottle is worth 20 cents. … While [my cousin and I] thought we were cleaning up, [Coach Schembechler] was showing us a way to earn money. We wanted to go to every game, so after every game we would go to the store with garbage bags full of cans. … When they would count the cans out, we would have $200 to $300 [just from] cleaning up. [Coach Schembechler] was a blessing in helping instill an excellent work ethic by allowing us to help the stadium crew clean up.”

Lane Harper unloads turkeys during his Foundation’s Fifth Annual Thanksgiving Turkey Giveaway. (Marika N. Johnson, For The Birmingham Times)

Martial Arts

Being the youngest of four — “I wasn’t spoiled,” Harper said — he learned another valuable skill.

“I used to get pushed around by my brothers and sisters, [all of whom had taken classes in] martial arts,” he said. “Since fifth grade all the way up until now, I have been doing martial arts, [and] I’ve fought in competitions all over the world.”

Harper has a second-degree black belt in Taekwondo and a first-degree black belt in Oyama Karate. He also has taught martial arts to several municipalities, including San Juan, Puerto Rico, as well as in Florida, Texas, and Connecticut, where he had the opportunity to instruct police officers at Yale University.

Harper graduated from Pioneer High School in Ann Arbor in 1989 and attended Alabama State University (ASU), where he played point guard and shooting guard for the Hornets basketball team for one year. He graduated from ASU in 1994 and moved to Birmingham in 1995, where he took a job with the Alabama Department of Human Resources.

“I had a job offer to work in Montgomery or Birmingham, paying $53,000 a year in 1995,” he said. “I worked with a subsidiary company called Seraaj Family Homes, [which has been a provider of Therapeutic Foster Care in Alabama since 1995], and my responsibilities were to run a group home and work with children in the Department of Human Resources system, [in addition to providing] respite care services, [temporary short-term help for caregivers].”

“If you had an adopted child, what I’d do is relieve you and your spouse on the weekend. I’ll get your child around five o’clock on Friday, and you would not see your child again until five o’clock on Sunday,” Harper explained.

Lane Harper goes through donations at I3 Academy in Woodlawn ahead of distribution. (Marika N. Johnson, For The Birmingham Times)

Medgar Evers

If that resume is not enough, when Lane is not fulfilling all of his other duties, you can probably find him learning his lines for a role in an upcoming film or play.

Harper portrays Medgar Evers in the Broadway play and movie, “Justice On Trial” now available on Amazon Prime.

The foundation exec said he got his start in the film industry in 2019 by chance after being asked to interview for a play that was coming through Birmingham.

“[Producers] wanted to interview me [and] wanted me to play a bailiff, just stand up there in a uniform and say, do you ‘solemnly swear’ and just hold someone’s hand behind their back. So, I interviewed for it,” said Harper, who is also a Birmingham Police Office.

“For the next day that we had to get together to study the lines, we met at a barbershop, across from the [Riverchase] Galleria. And when I was reading, he asked me ‘how did you learn the lines that quickly?’

I was like, ‘I remember license plates, tags, birthday dates, people’s names. I said, ‘this is what I do.’ They were like no, ‘if you can remember lines like this … you’re going to take this role” which turned out to be Medgar Evers.

Trust a Higher Power

Since 2008, Harper has served the BPD through various roles, including patrol officer, Master Pressure Point Control Tactics (PPCT) instructor, and member of the Special Operations Neighborhood Enforcement Team (NET) just to name a few.

Like most Birmingham area residents, Harper is aware of the rampant crime in the city. He attributes the violence “to a cycle of generational trauma and a lack of resources and education,” he said.

“Drawing from my extensive experience with families in need, I have observed that the struggles faced by parents—such as reliance on psychotropic medications, [drugs that affect behavior, mood, thoughts, or perception], and inadequate conflict-resolution skills—have been passed down to [some of] their children.”

Harper added, “Many young people are influenced by unrealistic portrayals of life in the media and the lack the necessary tools to resolve conflicts effectively. The prevalence of single-parent households and the absence of positive role models contribute to a chaotic environment where children are not taught essential life skills, such as financial literacy and problem-solving. This combination of factors fosters a culture of violence, as young people imitate negative behaviors without understanding their consequences.”

No matter how bleak things may seem, Harper emphasizes the importance of trusting in a higher power and cites the words of Proverbs 3: 5–6 (New International Version): “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”

To learn more about Power of Life Foundation, visit poweroflifefoundation.org.

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