Joseph Harper

Joseph Harper competed at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics in Canadian singles flatwater racing. Harper made the US junior team in 1983 and competed internationally at the Junior World Championships before moving up to the senior ranks. He had competed in basketball and as a pole vaulter in high school, and later attended Long Beach State, where he earned a degree in criminal justice.

After the 1996 Olympics, Harper used that degree to pursue a career in law enforcement. He worked as an undercover detective in the San Diego area, beginning in 1998. He led many projects helping to make the inner city areas safer and has been named Officer of the Year in his precinct.