Service Spotlight

Service Spotlight: Det. Glenda Vassar COMMUNITY

There are ups and downs to working as a police officer in your hometown. Just ask Norman native Glenda Vassar, a detective with the Norman Police Department.

“I thought if I was going to make an impact somewhere, I’d like it to be where I live and where my children live,” Vassar explained about the nine years she has served in Norman. “The only downside has been there are people I’ve dealt with that have not been happy with me, and I might run into them at the store.”

But there have been some unexpected advantages for Vassar as well. She was able to stop by the Norman High School baseball field when her son, Jake Jewell, was playing for the Tigers. Jewell is now a pitcher for the Los Angeles Angels.

“I was able to sneak by the ballfield at times when I was on patrol and stand outside the fence and watch until I had to take a call,” Vassar recalled. “He was on the 40-man roster for the Angels for the whole month last month. I was able to go out (to California) and watch him pitch four times, and it was wonderful to see him.”

In the end, though, Vassar said working in her hometown or elsewhere behind the badge has a single bottom line for her.

“I like feeling as if I’m making a difference in people’s lives.”

Police work is actually a second career for Vassar. A former adjuster for State Farm Insurance, she found herself wanting to make a deeper impact in her community. So, while working one day, Vassar literally sought out a sign from above.

“I thought, God if there’s something else I should be doing, you’re going to have to show me what it is,” Vassar said.

That’s when she received a notice the Norman Police Department was hiring. She figured it was the sign for which she had asked. A year and a half later, Vassar began her police academy training.

Vassar started her career as a patrol officer, working both day and night shifts before applying for an open detective position. Her first day in the detective’s division, she was told she would be working with the Mary Abbott House, a safe place for children to tell their stories regarding sexual and physical abuse and neglect. Crimes against children are among the most emotionally draining for officers.

“They’re difficult cases to work,” Vassar said. “You focus on the end. That’s how you get through it. You realize how many wonderful things you’re doing along the way. Someone asked, ‘how do you do that?’ I said, ‘if I don’t do it, who will.’”

Because of the nature of the crimes, Vassar believes it is essential to provide a comforting environment for victims and witnesses to tell their stories.

Detective Glenda Vassar

“You have to take the time to let children know they’re valued, and you are going to listen, that you’re there for them,” Vassar explained.

In addition to her work with child crimes, Vassar also serves as a member of the NDP Peer Support program, which allows her to provide support to fellow officers.

“Officers see the most horrific things imaginable,” Vassar said. “There is a group of us who reach out to officers who have worked something traumatic. We make sure they’re OK.”– BSM