Officer Alicia Pangelinan

 Q:  Why did you become a police officer?

I’d like to tell you a little story about my experience and how I was introduced into the law enforcement family.

I became a Police Officer because of my dad. He became a Police Officer in 2007 after graduating the Police Academy in 2006. He would tell me how hard the academy was for him, especially the physical fitness portion. He started working “the streets” (a.k.a “Patrol”) where he then started to have such a big influence on me while I was going through school. Growing up, he would tell me stories of how his day went and the calls for service he would go to when he would come home from work, which I was always so interested in. I would always ask him about his day when he came home, even when he was tired and just wanted to sleep because I wanted to hear more of his stories. 

After hearing my dad talk about his work and how physically demanding it was, I started going to a CrossFit Gym and fell in love with it. I began working hard every day in the gym for when it was my time to go through the academy.

I remember back in 2015, I was exercising in the gym at the Central station. It was just me and one other female inside the gym, at the time Captain Kathy Lester, now Chief of Police. I had not met her before, so I did not talk to her because I was nervous, but then my dad came into the gym and introduced me.

Chief Lester began talking to both my dad and I about the Pipeline Program, which had just started up again. She suggested to my dad that I apply for the Student Trainee position, which I did a week later and was given the opportunity to work for the Sacramento Police Department as a Civilian Employee. 

On August 5th 2015, my third day of working as a Civilian Employee (Student Trainee), was the grand reopening of the public counter at the William J. Kinney Police Station. I was able to work alongside sworn officers. We met community members and saw how the officers interacted with them. It seemed to have been a success because more and more community members attended and began speaking with officers. 

After being hired on as a Student Trainee, I was also assigned to the North Command Administration where I restocked supplies and assisted Officers in locating those supplies when needed. There were three Student Trainees assigned to admin, including me, so my supervisor at the time assigned to me assist the North Neighborhood Crimes Unit. I had the opportunity to assist Detectives in collecting surveillance footage as well as creating Information Bulletins to take some of the work off their hands. While working at the North Command, I was able to go on multiple ride-a-longs with patrol officers to gain experience on the patrol side of the job.

After a year in being assigned to the North Command I was assigned to our Headquarters where I was able to work and assist Homicide and Felony Assault detectives. There, I collected surveillance footage for them and assisted them in booking any items that needed to be booked. After a year at our Headquarters, I was then transferred and assigned to the Central Command where I again, worked for Central NCU and Admin. I had the same duties as before. 

The reason I tell my story from being a Student Trainee is because yes, my dad did have an influence on me, but after working as a Student Trainee for three years, I was able to build connections with sworn officers who motivated me even more to become a Police Officer. 

Q:  What motivates you to succeed?

After being a Police Officer for three and a half years, my niece and nephew motivate me. I want to have a positive impact on them and show them that those who are in a police uniform are there to help. I also see many unfortunate circumstances especially involving kids. I love seeing the smiles on any child’s face when they see the uniform on.

I also love talking to people and having conversations with them. Showing them that even police officers are human. 

Q:  What’s your most memorable moment on the job?

My most memorable moment on the job would have to be when I received a call for service regarding a 77-year-old woman, who was dropped off by a city bus on Broadway and I believe it was San Carlos Way in Oak Park. I contacted her and noticed she had a walker and some grocery bags with food in it. She was at least 4-9 in height and was thin. She was telling me about how she was supposed to be dropped off in downtown Sacramento, but instead was dropped off there and she said she had no idea where she was at. I spent a couple of hours in Oak Park with a couple of my partners trying to figure out how we were going to take her home because she wasn’t able to get in my patrol car because of physical disabilities. 

She had also told me she hadn’t eaten all day and that the food she had was to last her for the week. She was telling me how she wanted to go home so that she could make herself dinner. I asked her if she liked crackers, which she said she did. I gave her my Ritz crackers from my lunch bag and she started eating. 

I contacted the on-duty patrol sergeant for that area, who was Sgt. Pullen, and he made a suggestion to have someone stay with her while I go to the nearest station and grab a small sedan car to have her sit in. After success of having her sit in the vehicle, I was able to drive her home. During the car ride, she we had a really nice conversation about how she came to California and all kinds of stories about her family. I walked her to her home and said my goodbye.

Q:  What challenges have you faced?

The biggest challenge I have faced while working as a Police Officer would have to be my size. I am 5-0 and it is mentioned by individuals on almost every call for service that I am on. To this day, I have not had one day go by where my height is not mentioned to me. 

I never let it bother me because I can’t change my height, but I can still do the job no matter what.

Q:  What advice do you have for women considering a profession in policing?

My advice to females wanting a career in Law Enforcement would be to not be afraid because of your size, weight, or your strength. Unfortunately, size will not change. I will say that if you are afraid to apply for a position as a Police Officer because you don’t think that you can jump over a wall or drag a 160lb dummy, don’t be. You can always build your strength. Going over a solid or chain link wall is not easy, not even for me. 

Don’t get me wrong, being a Police Officer can be hard at times, but it is all worth it in the end.

Trust yourself and your abilities. It is all about mentality. There is always someone in any Law Enforcement Agency, especially in the Sacramento Police Department, that will be there to help you.