What A Police Officer At UCLA Police Department Wishes They Had Known Before Entering The Law Enforcement Industry
London's role as a UCLA Police Officer has evolved from a crime prevention focus to a community engagement role, which London finds "really engaging and fun," a contrast to initial apprehension. The unexpected learning curve included mastering practical tasks like "how to order stickers," while forging a new approach to the position alongside colleagues at UC Irvine.
Community Engagement, Police Work, Higher Education Policing, Community Relations, Public Safety
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
London McBride
Police Officer
UCLA Police Department
Utah State University 99'
Southern New Hampshire University; MS-Organizational Leadership
Anthropology, Sociology
Government & Public Sector
Legal
Scholarship Recipient, Took Out Loans, Greek Life Member, Student Athlete
Video Highlights
1. The role of a Police Officer, particularly in community engagement, has significantly evolved and is more focused on community interaction than previously thought.
2. The position offers a high degree of autonomy and creativity in shaping its direction and approach to community engagement.
3. Despite initial apprehension, the role can be highly engaging, fun, and rewarding once one settles into it and finds their rhythm within the department.
Transcript
What have you learned about this role that you wish someone would have told you before you started?
Honestly, about this role, I wish I knew how to order stickers. You know, the stickers you get as a kid, I wish somebody had told me how to do that, but I'm finding my way.
I think this role has totally evolved from what it used to be. Like I said, it used to be crime prevention, where you would do different presentations on alcohol awareness and things like that.
When I got into this role, a director wanted it to be more about community engagement. So, I really got to run with it the way I wanted. It was really heavy on engaging our community and being a part of it.
One of my counterparts at UC Irvine does the exact same thing, and I think it's really cool how we can start this new approach to this position.
The one thing I wish somebody had told me about this role is how engaging and fun it could be. At first, you might be apprehensive, wondering what it's going to look like. But once you get in, settle in, and find your groove, it's been great. I've got the best gig in the department, next to the chief. It's been fun.