The day after it happened, Joseph "Joe" Presley was still in disbelief. It had been a long time coming.

"I got hired on yesterday," he recalled Wednesday. "The sheriff just stood up and said 'Welcome aboard.'"

Presley, a recent graduate of Drury University's Law Enforcement Academy, said he is now employed by the Stone County Sheriff's Office as a jail deputy. He reports to work on Sunday.

"It feels emotional, especially when he handed me my badge," said Presley, 25. "It was kind of a surreal time."

Born with only one arm, the Bolivar native raised in north Arkansas made up his mind as a teenager that he wanted to be in law enforcement.

He figured it was going to be difficult. But, he had no idea just how much patience and persistence would be needed.

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In addition to missing most of his left arm, his late father was a bank robber who spent time in jail before straightening up.

The rejections started during his teen years and kept coming.

Early on, Presley realized he needed an edge — special skills, training or experience — to make him more attractive to employers.

He earned an associate's degree in criminal justice and a bachelor's degree in emergency management at Arkansas Tech University.

He worked as a 911 dispatcher to gain stress management and communication skills and joined the U.S. Army ROTC program to gain discipline, physical strength and endurance.

He even studied Brazilian jiu-jitsu to learn ways to better control suspects with just one arm.

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Multiple times along the way, Presley interviewed for law enforcement jobs. He said he'd pass written tests, physical fitness requirements, background checks, and psychological evaluations before he being rejected on medical grounds.

He said potential employers worried the lack of a second hand would hamper his ability to subdue a suspect or apply handcuffs.

Finally, he enrolled in Drury's 750-hour training program, which he completed and was able to meet Missouri's requirement for Class A certification of peace officers. At Drury, with the help of innovative instructors, he learned different techniques to apply handcuffs and other defensive tactics.

Presley has applied for numerous jobs since graduation.

"I tried to do a tally at one point," he said. "It was probably 20-25 applications."

Several law enforcement agencies took interest but when Stone County Sheriff's Office asked Presley to complete a physical, he worried. He'd gotten that far before only for a door to close.

Instead, he was offered the job and given a badge and start date. He will soon move to the Springfield area with his wife and daughter.

"I didn't really believe it at first. I was like, 'Did I just get hired on?'" Presley said. "It was just how many times I've tried, how many times I've gotten to that point and it didn't happen."

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The News-Leader left a message with the sheriff's office but did not hear back. Presley said the jail-related duties include keeping order and helping transport inmates.

Shortly before his Drury graduation, he explained why serving his community in a law enforcement capacity was so important to him.

"Law enforcement, they provide justice to people. I've seen a lot of injustice in my life," he said. "Everyone says 'I want to be the change, I want to help.' What it boils down to is I want to change someone's world. I want to save a life."