For Sandy Ballard, Maricopa is where she says she found her passion - working in public safety.
“When I first moved to Maricopa, there was a six-month period where I was in limbo,” Ballard explains. “I used to work for a large grocery store chain and cooked a lot of chicken, but I knew I was meant to do something else.”
She says she had always done well academically and avoided trouble, so when she came across a listing to become a Maricopa Police Dispatcher, she jumped at the opportunity.
“I scored well on the critical thinking test you take during the hiring process, but I didn’t know any police terms. Everything was new,” Ballard says. “I think the hiring manager really took a chance on me.”
The following eight months, she said, flew by, learning the ins and outs of police dispatching. That included learning protocols for answering phones and dispatching officers on the radio. Before she knew it, those eight months turned into five years working for the Maricopa Police Department Dispatch Center.
“I’ve made lifelong friends in Maricopa; they’re the people I’ve worked with every day,” Ballard says. “They’re what keeps me working here.”
She says her interest peaked when the Police Department began looking for a new civilian investigator and decided to make the leap once again.
“With dispatch, you took a call, and you almost never knew the outcome,” Ballard explains. “With this position, I’m in every step of the investigative process, working under the direction of our detectives. It’s cool to see how much work they put into solving these cases.”
Amongst her duties, the civilian investigator is an individual who is trained as a crime scene technician, aids in collecting digital evidence, and assists in overseeing sex offender notifications.
Ballard says she feels like she can finally use the nerdy gamer side of her personality in this position. For example, she is undergoing training that will allow her to assist detectives in pulling data from cell phones and other electronic devices in order to develop timelines that can be pivotal in closing cases.
“We are thrilled to have someone who has played an integral role in our police operations on the dispatch side join us as the Civilian Investigator,” Chief Mark Goodman says. “This role is a game changer for our detectives and department as a whole, giving us access to a dedicated crime scene tech, who will keep us at the forefront of crime-solving technology to close cases quickly and efficiently.”
This September, Ballard will attend a 10-week Crime Scene Technician course, which she says is the start to learning and growing in her role with the Maricopa Police Department.