Navigating the Police Academy: From Dispatcher to Officer

Clip from Episode 68 live on all platforms!

Years of Service: 1999-2017

In part 1, Jess discusses her troubled family life and how that shaped the person she became. Jess used these experiences and adversity to help her become an effective police officer first with the Palo Alto Police Department and later with the Hayward Police Department. While working for the Palo Alto Police Department, Jess realized she was not a “white suburban cop” and later transferred to the Hayward Police Department where she began to work “real crime”. Throughout her career, Jess describes herself as a SAM (shit-attracting magnet), and during part 1 she talks about situations that she found herself in, including a shooting, in the beginning of her career. This episode probes the beginnings of a career in law enforcement with episode 2 detailing what happens when things start to go wrong within a police department.