As a child, the answer to what I wanted to be when I grew up was almost always a Police Officer. Anytime I would see an officer proudly wearing their badge, I would immediately see a hero, a protector, someone I trusted without having to speak a word to them. I would look at them and imagine a future version of myself. What I didn’t see was all the hard work that went into wearing that badge. The understanding that a lot of the people that officer would come in contact with did not feel the same way I did. But now, I get it. Even with the knowledge I have now, I still wouldn’t change proudly wearing my badge daily.
My career with the University of Texas System Police began as a Public Safety Officer at UT Medical Branch Galveston. Within 18 months I was selected as a cadet and attended the University of Houston - Downtown Police Academy. Upon beginning my Field Training, one of the most influential people in my career thus far, Ofc. Petrillo, helped to build the core of who I am as an officer. She was passionate about making DWI arrests. Not only did she want to make sure that I became familiar with SFSTs, she made sure that I was confident in my abilities to find the probable cause for the stop, was able to articulate the indicators upon contact, conduct SFSTs confidently, and write a report that would stand up in court. By the time I left Ofc. Petrillo, my passion for making DWI arrests was set.
Approximately 29 people a day, or 1 person every 50 minutes, are senselessly killed due to a person selfishly choosing to drive while intoxicated. Due to this, I continue to make it a passion of mine to prevent as many of those deaths as I can by hammering down on drunk and impaired driving. A future career goal, which I hope to accomplish soon, is to become an SFST instructor so I can pass along my passion to other officers. A long-term goal of mine is to become a DRE. In the 3 years I’ve been a police officer, I’ve received numerous awards, including: Officer of the Year, 50 Club Officer of the Year, Life Saving Award, and Distinguished Service Award. But the award I am most honored to have received, came this year when Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) honored me with a Law Enforcement Appreciation award for my work in trying to reduce the numbers of DWI deaths.
As an officer, none of the work that is completed during a shift is ever a one-person job. It’s a team effort and I have an amazing group of officers that I am proud to work with and for. Sgt. McGill is another person I owe a huge thank you to for assisting in shaping who I am as an officer. He leads by example on a daily basis. His expectations are backed by his actions and I hope to one day be as great of a leader as he is. Under his guidance as a Sergeant, I was recently promoted to Corporal. I look forward to continuing my education in order to grow within UT System Police.
To my brothers and sisters in blue, I still see you all as heroes and protectors. Keep fighting the good fight.
