Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 4012 AMERICAN POLICE BEAT: MARCH 2017 by Jacqueline Rainey O fficer Laura Smith has been pro- tecting the p e o p l e o f San Diego since 2009. As a recent recipient of her divi- sion’s “Officer of the Shift” Award, she is a prime ex- ample of the well-rounded and dedicated individual it takes to be an officer of the San Diego Police Depart- ment. Like many in the profes- sion, Laura comes from a family of law enforcement officers. Her grandfather was the chief of police in Batavia, Ohio. She grew up and went to school in Madi- son, Indiana where she earned two degrees – one in Equestrian Science and one in Equine Science. She en- joyed her work for a couple years as a horse trainer for a multi-million dollar facility called Glenmore Farms in Peoria, Illinois. When Laura moved to San Diego, she continued to train horses for a few years. When the time came that she needed to find a more steady income, Laura started to consider the idea of joining the San Diego PD in hopes of one day joining the Mounted Patrol Unit. Unfortunately, the unit was dissolved shortly after Laura graduated from the academy. But Laura was not only drawn to police work as a way to utilize her equestrian skill set. “I also loved the diver- sity within the department and the community,” she explained. Laura became even more involved with the commu- nity this year when she was assigned with organizing a portion of the Jeremy Hen- wood Memorial Ceremony. It was a huge undertaking, but her hard work paid off. The event, which is held in the park across the street from Mid-City Division to honor the memory of the fallen hero had a great turnout from officers and civilians alike. “It was really reward- ing to work on because it helped bring our cops and the community closer together,” said Laura. “We are very much a family and I am proud to work with my law enforcement fam- ily to stand as the division between order and chaos.” After working in patrol for several years Laura was assigned to the Juvenile Services Team where she has been for just over a year. Although this is not what she imagined herself doing when she first joined the department, she is very enthusiastic about her cur- rent assignment. “It is great to have the opportunity to shape and influence these kids before they get into any kind of serious trouble,” she said. Laura’s passion for chil- dren extends beyond her work. She is the proud mother of her 9-year-old son, Nate. As a single par- ent, she values her time with her son and has volunteered her time to be a coach for his baseball team. Aside from spending time with her son, Laura likes to remain active outside of work. She plays on a coed softball team with San Di- ego PAF and has started competing in Crossfit. She does not get to work professionally with hors- es any more, but she still trains and cares for her own horses Reba, Peanut, and Hope. Officer Laura Smith meets each challenge with a humble determination to succeed. Whether she is helping at-risk children, training horses, or raising her son, Laura can always be counted on to give her all. Her selflessness and sense of service makes her an admirable asset to the Department. Jacqueline Rainey is the edi- tor of The Informant, the official publication of the San Diego Police Officers Association. She’s got blue in her veins In Rapid City, South Da- kota, crime is down. At least it was down in 2016 compared to 2015. But it was way up in 2015, so the drop the following year isn’t as impressive as it might have been. Statistics released by the Rapid City Police Depart- ment recently show a de- crease in crime for 2016 from 2015. Calls for service in the city decreased by 2.6 percent from 2015 to 2016. There were also 2.6 per- cent drops in aggravated assaults, murders and sexual assaults. Chief Karl Jegeris told the Rapid City Journal that the numbers prove that his officers were working hard. “Our intention is to renew the focus on proactive police work so that we’re able to prevent crime before it oc- curs,” Jegeris told reporters. “And it’s going to take a lot of assistance from other ele- ments in the criminal justice system. “We need all of the tools that are available to hold offenders accountable, so that we can reduce crime overall.” Chief takes victory lap over good news on crime rate stats As a single parent, Laura values her time with her son and has volunteered her time to be a coach for his baseball team. Aside from spending time with her son, she likes to remain active outside of work. She plays on a coed softball team and has started competing in Crossfit. t
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