Working as a police officer is all about teamwork. But Samantha and Caleb Reeder aren’t just partners on the job, they're partners in life.

The two new St. Petersburg Police officers are married. And their love story couldn’t be more perfect.

  • Samantha and Caleb are both officers with St. Pete Police
  • The newlyweds wanted a career that would keep them together
  • They've been dating since middle school

It all started in Kentucky.

"We actually met in middle school,” Samantha said. “We went to the same middle school together, met in the 6th grade."

"There was a dance, a middle school dance and our relationship started when I asked her to go to the dance with me,” Caleb said.

They began officially dating after high school and then throughout college. Samantha’s family’s farm in Kentucky was next to a now-retired St. Petersburg Police officer.

"He told us about how they were hiring so many new officers and all the opportunities St. Pete had, so we applied right after we graduated college and now we are here,” Samantha said.

The couple got engaged in 2014, but pushed back the wedding so they could move to Florida and start the academy. This Memorial Day weekend, Samantha and Caleb finally tied the knot.

"I can’t take credit for it, she planned most of it and it was perfect,” Caleb said.

But the couple was still in the academy, so they put their honeymoon on hold and came right back. It was all worth it though, when the Reeder’s were sworn in as officers Friday.

"She helped me and I helped her kind of deal,” Caleb said. “It nice to have someone at home to say hey what do you think about this and bounce ideas off each other."

The two are now completing their post-academy training.