Hometown Hero Vanessa Goodwin
Trades Fixing Fido for Fighting Crime
By Steve Wilcox Special to West Washington County Directory
Making the move from working as a veterinary technician to a police officer doesn ’ t seem like a straight-line progression , but for Officer Vanessa Goodwin and the community of Prairie Grove , it has worked out just fine .
“ I started as the animal control officer ,” said Goodwin . “ I took the oath in 2021 .” From there she went to the police academy , where she trained for 13 weeks , and then began working patrol . She started as a school resource officer ( SRO ) in January 2023 .
Goodwin graduated with a degree in animal science and found her initial position with the city . But there was more to her interest in policing than just dealing with four-legged community members in a civilian position .
“ I started to experience more of the police world and it changed the route I wanted to take ,” she said . “ I worked directly with the police department out of their building , and that exposed me to understanding police work . It changed my passion .”
Even in animal control , officials have to deal with people and the more Officer Goodwin dealt with the general community regarding questions about their pets , city ordinances and potential legal issues , the deeper involved she became in questions of policing . She also did ride alongs during this time .
“ I really liked traffic stops ,” she said .
Then came exposure to the real bump-and-grind of day-today police work : domestic abuse and juvenile cases . The Prairie Grove police chief asked her if she wanted to stay in her civil position or if she would be interested in going to the police academy .
“ I still get to work on animal cases , stray dogs or other animal issues ,” said Goodwin . “ The chief liked the way I worked with people . De-escalation is an important aspect in our line of work and it comes naturally to me .”
She became interested in better understanding everything from legal statutes around traffic stops and the broader rules of the road to domestic relations .
“ I ’ m still learning a lot , especially now that I ’ m in the schools . Understanding juvenile law is completely different , and you can do a lot of good by understanding those laws and working with kids ,” she said .
At the police academy , Goodwin was a squad leader . “ You don ’ t think being a squad leader is a big deal until you realize you have an entire squad to take care of and ensuring that people are doing the right thing – testing out right and passing their physical fitness test ,” said Goodwin . “ I got that leadership award , which is nice .”
Goodwin has learned to be open to conversation in her police work , even during traffic stops . Her strategy is to approach the people she meets in the way she would like to be encountered .
“ I ’ d like to give the public a different view of police officers ,” she said . “ That ’ s my tactic .”
During the upcoming school year , Goodwin will start transitioning out of SRO responsibilities and letting another officer come in and experience working
10 • WEST WASHINGTON COUNTY DIRECTORY 2024 with the school community . After her time being around educators and students , she thinks every police officer should be exposed to what happens in school every day . She will be doing regular patrols during the summer and be back at school during the fall .
As a Hometown Hero , Goodwin stated , “ It definitely took me by surprise . I don ’ t feel I ’ ve earned this , I should go bust a huge case , but I ’ m glad they included the police department in this and selected a school resource officer . It sheds a little light on the SRO role .”
Her career path from veterinarian technician to police officer has been a winding road , and Vanessa Goodwin has successfully made the trek . She ’ s learned a lot along the way , even about herself .
Photo by : Alan Cruz Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette