The Dublin PD badge may be new to Vanessa Griffin but her transition to the department marks a homecoming for the Dublin native.
Griffin, whose first day was July 23, has been involved in Erath County law enforcement for 13 years.
What brought her to the career path? “I was a young single mom,” Griffin said. “They had insurance and a great schedule and it helped me raise my daughter. I stuck with it.”
Griffin started as a jailer and worked her way up to jail administrator before going to patrol with Erath County Sheriff’s Office (ECSO), eventually working as a patrol sergeant and in narcotics.
“As soon as I set my foot in the jail, I kind of fell in love with every aspect of it,” Griffin remembered. “Everything is black and white.”
The officer feels that her background in the jail gave her valuable skills for the roles that followed.
“Being in the jail— you have to communicate, so that was a huge relief and huge help on the street,” she said. “Most of the work is just communicating with people.”
That open communication helps her be responsive to the community needs.
Griffin said her favorite part of the job is “trying to make somebody’s worst day a little bit better.”
“When someone calls the police and needs assistance, they’re having a really bad day so if I can make that a little bit better, I’m happy,” she added.
Officers acting as a beacon of help in the community can also counteract any negative public PD
opinion of law enforcement that may occur.
“I think public impression is huge,” she said. “There are a lot of people who have had really bad experiences, even with one officer, so if you can change their perception, they’ll actually want to speak with you. It goes on for generations because some parents have bad experience with police officers and their kids can be afraid to talk.”
“If we can just get out as a community and be seen not just on traffic [stops] or car accidents, I think it’s really great,” she offered.
Getting out in the community and being able to help others is part of what drew her to patrol duty in Dublin. Another aspect was “just coming home.”
“I was with the Sheriff’s Office for a very long time,” she said. “We just recently bought a house in town. My kids will be going to school here which is amazing.”
“[I’ll be on] night patrols which works great for my family,” she added. “I’ll be able to take them to school and pick them up and make them dinner every night.”
Even though she’s only a couple of weeks in, Griffin is already familiar with much of the department from their time with ECSO and inter-agency calls.
“I’ve worked with all these guys for a really long time,” said Griffin. “Sgt. [Kristi] Bonilla and [Cody] Cook worked on ECSO. Way back when, Chief [Cameron] Ray was in the Sheriff’s Office.”
Griffin is grateful for all of her time in law enforcement and the work she’s done, but she’s also grateful for the next step.
“I’m glad to be home,” she said.