The Roanoker - May/June 2014 - 41

ROANOKE COUNTY POLICE

Officer Jessica
Price
DEPARTMENT CIT COORDINATOR
After a few years in the US Army, Jessica Price
decided to follow her dreams of helping others.
She figured the best way to do that would be
getting out in the community as an officer. Answering calls from domestic violence to frauds
and thefts, she enjoys being in this particular
environment and helping citizens.

Now five and a half years into her police
career, she's also a Crisis Intervention Team
(CIT) coordinator. Rather than simply book a
mentally ill criminal and moving on, the team
ensures that person gets help through therapy
or other means.
A human trafficking situation turned out
to be the defining moment for her. By being
in the right place at the right time and getting
word out about the occurrence, it became the
most significant moment of her career. Even
her heroes are the advocates for victims of
domestic violence and trafficking. Those who
fight for the rights of others to get help have
had a profound impact on her and how she
wants to proceed in her career.
Price wants to take her experience in law
enforcement even further by going on to a
federal level or working with legislation. After
she had an opportunity to attend the Virginia
General Assembly, she found a passion in
lobbying for human trafficking laws and how
those will need to be changed as time goes by.
Even in her free time, she's helping others
with counseling. She also spends plenty of
time with her husband and three girls, all of
THE

R OANOKER.COM

DAVID HUNGATE

...She's also a Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) coordinator.
Rather than simply book
a mentally ill criminal and
moving on, the team ensures
that person gets help through
therapy or other means.

Jessica Price: "It's a great experience being a role model for [my girls]."
whom are fitness fanatics. They spend much
of their time hiking and doing other outdoor
activities.
"My girls are so supportive," Price says.
"They tell me that mommy's their hero and
they cheer me up when I've had a bad day. It's a
great experience being a role model for them."
As for being a woman in a male-dominated
field, Price believes that it's not only an honor,
but a huge achievement. While she says women must be tough and have a shield on at all
times so as not to let things affect them, being
a woman can also help. Many people count

on females to lighten the situation or feel they
may listen better.
At the end of the day, Price is able to go
home and know she made a difference, no
matter how small. Despite usually meeting
people in their worst moments, knowing she's
helped someone and possibly changed the direction of their lives toward something positive is exactly why she chose this career path.
"It's not about the uniform; it's about the effect you have on the community. Our goal is to
help others and do the right thing, to go above
and beyond what it takes to help people." I
MAY/JUNE 2014

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The Roanoker - May/June 2014

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