员工关注的焦点

莱斯利·费尔南德斯

作者:安娜·安德森

What is your name, position, and department or unit?

莱斯利·费尔南德斯, Police Officer at 囊状态 PD

你在萨克州立大学多久了?

I was at 囊状态 as a student studying Criminal Justice from 2016 to 2020 and worked as a community service officer. I came back to 囊状态 in 2023 to apply as a cadet and now I’ve been an officer for a few weeks, 但我还在训练中.

谁是你的主要客户?

整个校园. I serve the community, 工作人员, visitors, and students. Officers also patrol 囊状态 buildings off campus such as the downtown location and the Julia Morgan House. Officers like myself work to ensure 囊状态 is a safe and comfortable place for everyone.

How would you define your role on campus?

My main role is serving the campus community and helping people feel safe, heard, and protected. My work day as an officer is very routine, it begins with checking patrol vehicles and equipment. Then we have a briefing and begin doing campus checks. Since I’m still in training I have to be accompanied by another officer while in uniform.

What makes you passionate about your work/duties?

I am passionate about my work because of my background. I am a Hispanic woman and not many police officers are Hispanic or women. I also want people to have a better outlook when it comes to police officers since I did not have very positive encounters with them growing up. My past experiences with police officers were not great, it was more of an indifferent experience. I did not see any community engagement from police officers and when they attended events the police officers wouldn’t engage with others, 只和伴侣在一起. I also felt like the police officers made themselves look intimidating when they were in an environment where they did not have to be.

It was only when I came to 囊状态 and met the police officers here that I had better experiences. The officers at 囊状态 changed my perspective and I want to do that for others as well. The police officers on campus take the time to care for their community. The officers on campus make an effort to get to know their community by patrolling on foot and talking to random students, 教师, 工作人员, and visitors to let them know they are here to help with whatever needs they have.

Prior to working at 囊状态 as a cadet, I worked in Alameda for EMS training. 在那之前, 我在做防损工作, but I didn’t feel like either of those jobs was the right path for me. My husband was also a community service officer at 囊状态 and now he applied to be a cadet for the Roseville Police Department.

In your position, what are some of the biggest challenges faced, or rewards found?

Well, I’ve only been an officer for a short amount of time. I think the hardest thing I’ve had to face is putting what I learned in the academy into practice as an officer, specifically talking to people while I’m in uniform. It’s easier to do when you are practicing with other cadets and officers, but actually doing it can be challenging. You never know how someone will react in reality, 但是在学院里, you know you can trust the people around you. Being in the academy was also mentally and physically draining so it was gratifying when I graduated and received an award while I was there.

Could you please talk about some of your recent accomplishments?

I’d say my most recent accomplishment is graduating from the academy. I also received an award for being the most inspirational cadet during my time there. The academy was 7 months long and what led me to receive the award was facing my biggest challenge: jumping over the 6-foot wall. This was part of the ‘Sample Battery Test’. We had two practice tests, which I failed both times. This caused me to worry about the final test in November, which was just a month before graduation. 做好充分的准备, I used my lunch time to practice jumping over the wall and I also had my dad build me one at home so I could continue practicing on my days off. I was dedicated to the program and my classmates saw that I never gave up and truly tried my best to overcome this obstacle. All of my hard work came through in the end, but the only option I had was to pass. 失败是不可接受的. It felt good to be recognized by my peers and instructors through the award, and a personal accomplishment I have is that I’m the first Hispanic female in my family to pursue a career in law enforcement.

别人怎么联系你?

你可以给我发电子邮件 玛德琳.fernandez@4499ku.com. You can also stop by the Police Department on campus and ask for me. My schedule fluctuates since I am still in training, but those are the best ways to get in touch with me.

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