07/02/2026
I’ve been pretty quiet lately, and if I’m being honest, it’s because my heart has been a little broken.
I recently missed out on what I thought was a dream opportunity in forensics. Losing out on a position isn’t new to me. It’s part of life. But this one was different.
I never got the chance to interview.
I never got the chance to explain my experience.
I wasn’t even given the opportunity to stand in the room.
The deciding factor wasn’t my education, my certifications, my teaching experience, my casework, or the countless hours I’ve invested in this profession.
It was my title. “Patrol Officer.”
What many people don’t see is that almost everything I’ve built in forensics has happened outside of that title. I’ve spent my own time, my own money, and countless hours traveling for training, attending conferences, buying equipment, teaching classes, and learning from some of the best people in this field because I genuinely love it.
I believed that if I kept putting in the work, eventually someone would see it.
Lately, I’ve started questioning that belief.
When you can’t even get the opportunity to introduce yourself, it’s hard not to wonder if all the extra effort is ever going to matter. And that’s a difficult place to be.
This video isn’t about proving anyone wrong. It’s about reminding myself of what I’ve been fortunate enough to do: the complex scenes I’ve worked, the classes I’ve taught, the incredible professionals I’ve learned from, the friendships I’ve built, and those people in the forensic community like Jessica Liang | Finer Points Forensics who have never once made me feel like I was “just” a patrol officer.
To those people - thank you.
I don’t know exactly what comes next. I still love my job. I still love being a police officer. And I still love forensics.
I’m just trying to figure out where those two passions meet... and whether someone will eventually look beyond the title. I’m the mean time, I may need to pull back a little bit. But I see all of you out there killing it. And I am SO PROUD OF YOU.
**ie
