How did you come to work at the Metro Transit Police Department?
My father was in law enforcement. I did a lot of ridealongs with him and really enjoyed seeing the work he did in the community. So, it has always been an interest for me. I was part of the Law Enforcement Explorer program years ago, and when I was working at the Holiday gas station on Franklin Avenue, I got to know a lot of Metro Transit Police Department officers. It was clear that MTPD was the type of agency I wanted to work for. I started as a Community Service Officer in 2013 and became a sworn officer in 2015. I’ve always loved this agency, because no matter how much we grow, we still tend to know everyone’s names. It has a very close-knit feel.
What is your current role at MTPD?
I’ve been in the training unit for the last few years. We do a lot here: we train new recruits in academies, equipment training, instructor training, in-service training. Every single day is different as far as what projects are dropped on my desk.
Obviously, we want good training. We want officers to go out there and have positive interactions with the community. That starts with good training. I think the biggest thing with training is making officers feel comfortable. Unfortunately, in the training environment, you can't exhibit the true real-world factors, but you can simulate them, which helps prepare officers for what they’ll actually see on the job.
Truly my favorite part of the job are the academies of new officers. We get to walk them through the different things they’re going to come across in the field and them build a foundation for their careers as police officers. We do a lot of different types of trainings – classroom trainings, online trainings, hands-on trainings. There’s a lot to learn, and we try to equip new officers with everything they need to know before they go out in the field.
What do you like to do outside of work?
I have two small children, so my priority is anything I can do to hang out with the family, whether it's going to the park or going on little family trips here and there. I’m all about being present in their lives, like volunteering at my kids’ schools to teach bike safety or visit during First Responder Week. Spending time with family is kind of the number one priority outside of work. When we go on trips, we try to go different places. We visited family in Ohio a couple years ago. We’re trying to go to South Dakota this year. We’ll go to Wisconsin Dells or go up north and hang out there. Anything to give our kids the opportunity to experience different things.