Jennifer Johnson
Police Officer
City of Carlsbad, California
‘Protecting and serving’
“Sometimes, when an incident’s over, I’ll think, ‘Wow, that could’ve really gone bad.’ But I don’t think about any danger when it’s happening. The training prepares you to just do what you’re supposed to do.”
It’s not just the training that makes Jennifer Johnson so capable. It was soon obvious to me that she has what anyone needs to be a police officer, including genuine confidence, a stable personality, and the ability to make good decisions independently.
I first met Jennifer at Starbuck’s before she went to work. In her beige tracksuit, with her latte, she looked like a pretty, fresh-faced college girl. At 5’6” and 125 pounds, she does not look like she’s about to take down a “perp”, except maybe on T.V. I was surprised to hear that most of the female officers she knows are similarly built. Later, when we went to the station and she suited up for work, I could see that there’s a lot of uniform involved in the Police Presence. I long to try one on!
Jennifer does patrol. She answers calls, including all kinds of disturbances, traffic collisions, domestic incidents, gang activity. She takes crime reports, and she apprehends criminals. Helping where needed is another part of the job. Police are there to help, just as our parents told us. Community service, representing the force both on and off duty, is a part of Jennifer’s life.
Jennifer’s studies in Loss Prevention at Sacramento State University led her to work apprehending shoplifters. Though this piqued her interest in law enforcement, the money was not great. She went on to earn a degree in Criminal Justice. She applied for a job at the Sacramento Police Department, and was hired as a Community Service Officer. In time, she was upgraded to Police Officer.
She later applied to the Carlsbad Police Department, north of San Diego, and near her family.
Of course, the police department had it’s own education. How hard was it to get through the Police Academy? Hard! It lasted six months. For the most part, it was a combination of daily academics, physical conditioning (especially running and weight training) and nightly firearms training. Stephanie described the atmosphere as “very military... bootcampish”. Right, so exactly how much running was there? The goal was a certain number of miles within a certain time frame. In her case, she recalls reaching a set goal of five miles in about 35 minutes. Hang in there, Ladies. It sounds worth it.
Jennifer loves her job. She’s happy not being in an office. She loves the independence, the discretion she gets to exercise. “It’s different every day. I’m dealing with all kinds of people. I see a lot. I see it all. I have many unusual experiences.”
On the other hand, Jennifer says there’s a downside to seeing a lot. “You can get very jaded. You can get cynical. It’s hard not to see all the bad in people. You can’t stay completely optimistic when you deal with so much negative. After a while you get less sensitive. You get a hard edge.”
Then again, she says, “You need that edge to be able to do the job. You need to be pretty tough inside. You don’t need to be as strong physically as you do mentally. You need a bitchy attitude I guess you could say.”
Her colleagues, mostly men, are terrific. “There’s great camaraderie, great team spirit.” Orientation at the Academy deals with issues of protocol between officers. “They treat me just like another guy.”
She has not felt that being a woman has held her back in the least. In fact, maybe it helped her get her job. She is confident that she can make her own future on the force. “In Sacramento, there was a woman sergeant and a lieutenant. They’d like to have one here, too.”
So let’s get down to the nitty-gritty. How do the bad guys react when she tells them they’re under arrest? Well, it turns out that a trace of chivalry still lives under dire circumstances. Jennifer thinks they’re actually a little more cooperative, maybe because they don’t feel as personally threatened as they might with a male officer. “They seem to just go with the program.”
“Women are a different story. They don’t like another woman telling them what to do. They don’t listen. They argue.”
I wondered whether being a police officer had affected her life outside work. It seems like a way of life, not the kind of job you leave at the office. “It can intimidate in your social life. Guys don’t like control. I was always pretty assertive, but this job makes you more so. You get used to taking control of situations. My boyfriend’s a police officer, too (in a different city) so sometimes we butt heads.”
She can’t deny, though, there’s something about a woman in uniform. “I get hit on a lot if I’m out with the public. It’s rather annoying. It must be the whole uniform-fantasy thing.”
Watch it, Buddy.
Police Officer
City of Carlsbad, California
‘Protecting and serving’
“Sometimes, when an incident’s over, I’ll think, ‘Wow, that could’ve really gone bad.’ But I don’t think about any danger when it’s happening. The training prepares you to just do what you’re supposed to do.”
It’s not just the training that makes Jennifer Johnson so capable. It was soon obvious to me that she has what anyone needs to be a police officer, including genuine confidence, a stable personality, and the ability to make good decisions independently.
I first met Jennifer at Starbuck’s before she went to work. In her beige tracksuit, with her latte, she looked like a pretty, fresh-faced college girl. At 5’6” and 125 pounds, she does not look like she’s about to take down a “perp”, except maybe on T.V. I was surprised to hear that most of the female officers she knows are similarly built. Later, when we went to the station and she suited up for work, I could see that there’s a lot of uniform involved in the Police Presence. I long to try one on!
Jennifer does patrol. She answers calls, including all kinds of disturbances, traffic collisions, domestic incidents, gang activity. She takes crime reports, and she apprehends criminals. Helping where needed is another part of the job. Police are there to help, just as our parents told us. Community service, representing the force both on and off duty, is a part of Jennifer’s life.
Jennifer’s studies in Loss Prevention at Sacramento State University led her to work apprehending shoplifters. Though this piqued her interest in law enforcement, the money was not great. She went on to earn a degree in Criminal Justice. She applied for a job at the Sacramento Police Department, and was hired as a Community Service Officer. In time, she was upgraded to Police Officer.
She later applied to the Carlsbad Police Department, north of San Diego, and near her family.
Of course, the police department had it’s own education. How hard was it to get through the Police Academy? Hard! It lasted six months. For the most part, it was a combination of daily academics, physical conditioning (especially running and weight training) and nightly firearms training. Stephanie described the atmosphere as “very military... bootcampish”. Right, so exactly how much running was there? The goal was a certain number of miles within a certain time frame. In her case, she recalls reaching a set goal of five miles in about 35 minutes. Hang in there, Ladies. It sounds worth it.
Jennifer loves her job. She’s happy not being in an office. She loves the independence, the discretion she gets to exercise. “It’s different every day. I’m dealing with all kinds of people. I see a lot. I see it all. I have many unusual experiences.”
On the other hand, Jennifer says there’s a downside to seeing a lot. “You can get very jaded. You can get cynical. It’s hard not to see all the bad in people. You can’t stay completely optimistic when you deal with so much negative. After a while you get less sensitive. You get a hard edge.”
Then again, she says, “You need that edge to be able to do the job. You need to be pretty tough inside. You don’t need to be as strong physically as you do mentally. You need a bitchy attitude I guess you could say.”
Her colleagues, mostly men, are terrific. “There’s great camaraderie, great team spirit.” Orientation at the Academy deals with issues of protocol between officers. “They treat me just like another guy.”
She has not felt that being a woman has held her back in the least. In fact, maybe it helped her get her job. She is confident that she can make her own future on the force. “In Sacramento, there was a woman sergeant and a lieutenant. They’d like to have one here, too.”
So let’s get down to the nitty-gritty. How do the bad guys react when she tells them they’re under arrest? Well, it turns out that a trace of chivalry still lives under dire circumstances. Jennifer thinks they’re actually a little more cooperative, maybe because they don’t feel as personally threatened as they might with a male officer. “They seem to just go with the program.”
“Women are a different story. They don’t like another woman telling them what to do. They don’t listen. They argue.”
I wondered whether being a police officer had affected her life outside work. It seems like a way of life, not the kind of job you leave at the office. “It can intimidate in your social life. Guys don’t like control. I was always pretty assertive, but this job makes you more so. You get used to taking control of situations. My boyfriend’s a police officer, too (in a different city) so sometimes we butt heads.”
She can’t deny, though, there’s something about a woman in uniform. “I get hit on a lot if I’m out with the public. It’s rather annoying. It must be the whole uniform-fantasy thing.”
Watch it, Buddy.
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