An Interview With Officer Nicholson

The journalism class interviewed Officer Nicholson about her job in Miss Puffer's classroom on February 6th, 2008, because the reporters were interested in learning about her experiences as a police officer. They found out she is a "control freak", which is how she put it. Nicholson says she knows how to communicate with people really well, and she knows how to control herself. Nicholson has been a police officer since 1995 when she was hired. Nicholson likes to solve things. She has never shot a gun at a person before. Nicholson admitted that she does get scared, but the fear does not stop her from doing her job. She loves her job. She has arrested many people. Nicholson cares about people which is part of the reason why she does her job. She cares about people who don't have the ability to speak for themselves. Nicholson says she does not get payed a lot, but she does not mind, because she wants to help people. She would do her job for free. Nicholson says that her being a quiet person and an observing person has benefited her with her capability of solving problems. She regrets not working hard in school and not getting a collage degree. Nicholson says the worst crime scene investigation she had to be a part of was about a five-month old child with lots of fractures, which is very bad for the health of a child. Later, Nicholson found out the child was being abused. When she did this, she felt liked she had been the voice of the child who could not speak. Nicholson says she watches America's Most Wanted and ran into one of the people who has been searched for. The person was a child molester. She saw him in Greenville County in her first year of work. She witnessed the man giving two older teenage boys drugs. The man took the boys to a hotel for inappropriate behaviors.

Nicholson said she always wanted to be a cop as a child. She has been to court a lot for a variety of reasons. She has had to chase people in cars and on foot. She said that when you chase someone in car, you have to think about the safety of people around you. Nicholson said on foot chases, "You win some. You lose some." Nicholson says she has had to tazor someone. Animal cruelty cases are not common in Nicholson's work, but she has been in a few cases of animal neglect. Nicholson has been in gang fighting situations she had to help stop. Nicholson has been undercover and was undercover as a prostitute. Nicholson said she would not arrest a family member if they committed a crime. She would let another officer carry out that arrest. Nicholson says she has never been attacked by another woman, but has been by men.

Nicholson is a very serious person who has had many encounters in life a lot of people have not as a police officer from convicting people on America's Most Wanted to arresting people for speeding.

-Olivia