Captain Brian Loftus

While every American was impacted by the 9/11 attacks, Brian was one of the relatively small number of people personally touched by the events of that fateful day. His girlfriend was on United Flight 93 that was hijacked and crashed in a Pennsylvania field with no survivors. Brian already aspired to enter the military, but 9/11 solidified his plan. He learned how fleeting life is, but also felt a need to protect our way of life. Upon completing his BS in psychology at Santa Clara University, he immediately joined the Air Force.

Brian was on active duty for five years, serving multiple deployments and earning several honors, before becoming a reservist and joining the San Jose police force. He worked in a largely Hispanic area of the city where the language barrier created mistrust for the police, even though the community believed in the justice system. Brian, who is fluent in Spanish, worked to garner a sense of trust and understanding in the community. It was this experience that inspired him to pursue his law degree.

Once he completes his studies, he plans to return to public service as a prosecutor. Community education will be a cornerstone of his profession. His vision is to create an outreach program where attorneys can volunteer to attend community meetings and answer citizen questions about the law. He says a better understanding will strengthen their trust in the system and the order in our society.