A decade’s work fulfills her goal

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"I’m finally all the way there,” said a smiling Beth Posel, who was just starting an afternoon shift at the River Falls Police Department last week.

That Thursday was Patrol Officer Posel’s first day working solo — the first time she’d not be tagging along with a supervising coworker.

“Today’s the first day that I’m all by myself,” she said.

Posel was asked how she felt about the milestone she had achieved.

“I’m thrilled,” the 27-year-old woman said. “It’s something I’ve been working on for what seems so long. It’s what I’ve been working on since I was 17 years old.”

Posel, who was sworn onto the local force in May, is happy to be working in River Falls.

“I applied here two years ago,” said Posel. She had read about an upcoming vacancy on the city’s Web site, and having visited with friends who were going to school here, she knew it was a good size city to work in.

She also liked the fact that, “…it’s a cute town and a college town,” Posel said about the city on the Kinni. Those were both pluses as far as Posel was concerned when it came to looking for work.

Originally from Buffalo, Minn., Posel said it was her parents’ careers that steered her towards law enforcement.

“My step-dad is a police officer,” Posel explained. “And my mom is a paramedic, so I knew I’d probably end up working in a field where I could help people.”

Then as she grew older, and accompanied her step-dad on “ride-alongs,” she became drawn more to police work.

“I fell in love with it,” she said about her chosen field. “I found it way more exciting than working as a paramedic and I knew it would be something I’d be good at.”

Posel set her course and first attained a four-year degree in criminal justice. Concordia College in St. Paul is where she earned a Bachelor of Arts.

Her most recent training concluded after she graduated from a Basic Recruitment Academy program at Chippewa Valley Technical College in Eau Claire. She finished the 13-week program just last month, having been sponsored by the RFPD.

Posel said she’s grateful to be employed by and to work with Police Chief Roger Leque.

“I’m so thankful that he had enough confidence in me to hire me for the job,” said Posel. “He’s been great to me.”

Posel will be on probation for a full year. During that time she hopes to experience the full gamut of law enforcement duties. Having just started, she hasn’t had the chance to pick a favorite area within police work.

She said, “I love it all. Whether it’s working with young kids, the elderly in the community, or going out and getting the bad guys with good arrests, I’m looking forward to all of it.”

To reach Posel, call the River Falls Police Department at 425-0909.

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