Police aides here on campus make sure that they do whatever they can to keep LMC safe and secure. With the law enforcement field being well dominated by males, more women are stepping up to the plate to show they also have a presence in the field.

Corporal LMC police aid Sandy Lomeli had always known that she wanted to pursue a career as a police officer, so when she had the chance to become an police aide on campus, she took it as soon as possible.

“This is what I want to do in the future, this is what I want to do for a living,” said Lomeli.

After working as an aide for about a year, she got promoted to corporal amongst a group of men.

“I got promoted by doing what a police officer is supposed to do and more,” she said.

As corporal she helps manage the police aides and trains the incoming aides as well. Over time she has learned, when it comes to training, she has to be conscious of other people’s learning styles.

“It does get hard teaching them how they learn, so they can learn as fast as they can and be on their own,”  said Lomeli.

It may be difficult at times for her when it comes to training the new aides, but she loves what she does and the impact she has on others looking to get into the field. She is proud to be a model of what it looks like to have a woman in a leadership role.

“It is good being able to show that it’s possible… even though I’m a female I can be in charge of other men,” said Lomeli.

Daniela Garcia became a police aide to gain experience in the law enforcement field and to see if it was a career path she may have wanted to further explore.

“It’s not the real thing, but I might just get an idea of what it is like,” she said of her initial experience.

Working on the job had allowed her to gain personal relationships with staff on campus. Being able to see them outside of class and have different conversations created a more generous dynamic, which was something that surprised her.

“Its something I didn’t expect, but I really enjoy,” said Garcia.

While on the job she had realized that she didn’t want to pursue a career in law enforcement. She had always had an interest in drama, nursing and teaching, but she still sees the value in the experience of becoming a police aid.

“It’s a new experience and it’s a great experience as well, especially if you’re going into the enforcement field,” said Garcia.

At times it’s a difficult job, especially when it comes to handing out parking tickets.

“When you’re giving tickets out…the reaction you get from people [is interesting],” said Garcia.

Sometimes she can hear the people cursing as she walks past them after giving them a ticket, but she knows that everything she has to do as well as their reactions is all a part of the job.

If you are interested in becoming a police aides you can can get more information from Police Services located in front of parking lot A or online at the LMC website.