Q&A: Rachel Sanders
By Sean Armstrong
Reporter (Fall 2012)
What is your name, and what is your job title at Crowder College?
My name is Rachel Sanders, and I’m a security officer.
How long have you worked at Crowder?
It will be a year in September.
What do you enjoy about your job here?
I really enjoy working with people.
What is your favorite aspect of this job?
I really enjoy getting to see the people and working with them every day.
What is your least favorite aspect of this job?
I really just don’t like getting on to people. When people don’t use their head or their common sense, it really irritates me.
What kind of things do you do as a security officer at Crowder?
We unlock cars, jump-start cars, take care of the fleet vehicles, write parking tickets, do the mail runs, and go to the bank.
On average, how many parking tickets do you give out per semester?
Well, this semester, we’ve averaged about one or two tickets every day.
Why did you choose Crowder College? Why not a museum or a mall or something like that?
It’s close to home. And I went to school here so I already knew the people that worked here. It’s much more comfortable to work with people you already know.
Is this just another job to you, or is this an actual “stepping-stone” to a future career?
It’s an actual stepping stone. I got my bachelors in Criminal Justice last year, so this is a great opportunity for me.
Why did you want to become a security officer?
It was just something I wanted to do. I don’t really want to be a police officer, but this is something I really enjoy doing; because I get to help people.
What’s the most exciting thing you’ve done as a security officer here?
We did have a call at one point, where there was a supposed little child out here by the skid pad by their selves. We went and looked for over an hour, and it ended up just being a girl around 13 just riding her bike home. So that was pretty scary for a while. We even had a cop out here looking.
Are you attending school here as well?
Not right now, but I did graduate from here in ’07 with a general studies degree. And I received my bachelors in Criminal Justice from MSSU last year.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
Hopefully I’m still here. My job is really good here and I’m in no hurry at all to leave.
Have you had any trouble being a woman in this male-dominated field?
Well you know how guys think, right? They think I’m just a little girl. But I grew up on a farm, so I’m not really scared of anything.
Do people have problems taking you seriously?
Oh yeah. If I have to get on to someone, sometimes they just ignore me and keep doing whatever they want. So, I just have to tell my boss.
What advice would you give to another woman entering this field?
Just don’t be scared; don’t back down. If this is what you really want to do, don’t be intimidated by what others think.
If you had a clever catchphrase that you used every time you caught a criminal, what would it be?
My personal one would probably be, “Don’t make me taze you!”
If you could have dinner with any famous law enforcement figure, real or fictional, who would it be and why?
I’d have to say Patrick Jane from The Mentalist. I think he’d just be really fun to work with, and there would never be a dull moment.
What is your favorite crime drama on television?
I like The Mentalist and NCIS the best.
Is there anything else you’d like to say to the people of Crowder?
Feel free to call or come by the office if you have any questions or concerns with anything. There’s usually someone in this office, and there is someone on duty 24/7. The phone number is (417)456-0206.
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