My story is different than most. I don't come from a law enforcement background. I am the first officer in my family. I can't pinpoint exactly where my desire came from, but it was solidified as a teenager after one ride along with an officer from our local police department.
I graduated high school and entered the Army as an intelligence analyst. I acquired insight and knowledge that I would have never been exposed to as a civilian while working as an analyst, but a military career wasn't for me. After discharging from the military, I married and started a family. At that point I realized, for my children to flourish in life, they needed to be my priority and my career would be second to them.
Once my youngest daughter entered high school and my twins were sophomores, I turned my focus back to my personal goals. It was important to me to be an example to my children. I wanted them to know that sometimes our dreams may need to be put on hold but that doesn’t mean we have to give up on them.
My priorities shifted once again. I enrolled in a local college and obtained my associates degree in criminal justice. I then went to work for Smith County jail. I appreciate the experience I gained at the jail and feel it is beneficial to work in different aspect of law enforcement, however, I wanted more. After completing a year of employment, I set my sights on becoming a deputy. I tried out for and was selected to go to the police academy. I completed the academy and became a licensed peace officer at the age of forty-four. I returned to the jail briefly before accepting a position as a part time officer with a smaller police department in East Texas.
It didn't take long for me to realize that I could not work as a police officer on a part time basis. I loved it! All of it, the traffic stops, backing up officers in neighboring towns, assisting the community, serving warrants and even going 10-95.
Unfortunately, there was not a full time opening at the agency I was with, but there was with the University of Texas at Tyler.
I am absolutely, grateful to be employed as an officer for the University of Texas. I am blessed to have been selected to work with this amazing group of officers in Tyler, each one bringing a unique skill set to the department. I also appreciate the knowledge and experience of our leadership team. They continuously strive to improve our department by focusing on training, officer safety and encouraging us to take the necessary steps to further advance our careers.
Being a police officer is more than a job to me, it is a way of life. It is an honor and a privilege to put on the uniform and wear the badge. It is being mindful that the privilege can be revoked based on an action or lack of. It is celebrating the promotion of a sister, mourning the senseless loss of a brother. It is being there to encourage one another or have a one on one when you don’t see eye to eye and knowing at the end of the day, you may disagree, but you will undoubtedly have each other’s back. It is standing shoulder to shoulder when serving the community and again when saluting one of your own for the last time. It is remembering the code of ethics in and out of the uniform as you are constantly under a watchful eye.
