Spanning a 36-year career in law enforcement with the Levelland Police Department (LPD), Captain Tammie McDonald celebrated her last day Friday with colleagues, friends and family as she looked toward retirement.
McDonald began her career in public safety as a dispatcher, at the age of 22 in Fort Worth near Bridgeport where she realized it was a very stressful job. She moved back home and went to South Plains College (SPC) for about a year to finish up her degree.
Back then a student did not have to go to an academy to finish out a degree in law enforcement. She graduated in 1988, where she tested for the LPD in the winter of 1988. In February of 1989, she went to work for LPD.
McDonalds’ original goal was to stay with LPD for five years and move to the beach and be a beach cop.
“I didn’t get that,” said McDonald. “I got the sand but not the water.” Staying in Levelland became permanent when she married and had her daughter Ashley.
“Honestly it feels like I just started last week and I can’t believe it’s been 36 years,” said McDonald. “It’s been that good of a career. My family lives here and I just stayed to raise my daughter. Now I’m ready to retire and take care of my parents and travel.”
McDonald has seen a lot in her 36 years of service, where she has dedicated her life to serving not only her staff but her community.
“For 36 years, people don’t understand that you live and breathe this job,” said McDonald. “Especially, if you’re a leader in this department.”
In 1996, McDonald had her daughter and realized she needed a steadier schedule. Her daughter has been on this journey with McDonald since 1992.
Coming to that realization, McDonald applied for criminal investigations. With four people vying for the opening, McDonald ended up getting the job in the winter of 1997.
Focusing on her work , she would be promoted to sergeant in criminal investigations in 2007.
“My eyes really started to open around this time, because now I’m a supervisor in this department,” said McDonald. “I would wake up in the middle of the night and turn on the radio to see if there was anything going on or I would call dispatch and ask if there was anything happening.”
As her work progressed, one thing that always interested McDonald was the technological advances that were being made in law enforcement. This included the use of DNA, tire casts and a large number of innovations that McDonald found a use for in her career.
There was a point in time where cases were solved with just a fingerprint and confession. When she became a criminal investigator, she dived into DNA and how to connect it to the crime.
McDonald referenced a case where there was a burglary at the school and a lot of the big kitchen equipment was stolen. Following the incident, she went into the school and found a fingerprint where she thought she could get some DNA out of it. Three months later she received the results back from the lab stating they had a DNA match from an individual who lived in Hobbs, New Mexico.
“This guy was a fence for stolen property,” said McDonald. “I thought that was the coolest thing in the world.”
It was the first DNA case ever filed in Hockley County.
For McDonald, it was not until a department restructure in 2015 when she was made captain. She was the first female detective and first female captain the LPD has had. With her criteria and dedication to the work force McDonald was the perfect fit.
“I’ve enjoyed it,” said McDonald. “I planned vacations, holidays, and birthdays around this job. Those events aren’t scheduled for that particular day, it’s planned for when I can do it.”
When McDonald first started working at the department there were only 18 officers, four dispatchers, two detectives, two animal control officers and three sergeants. Now the department has five sergeants, nine dispatchers and four animal control officers.
“I’ve got to see the department grow in bodies and it’s been interesting,” stated McDonald.
After 36 years she has come to know the LPD as her family. She has mentored many people and has watched many of her peers excel in their careers. She has impacted this community, and she is thoroughly grateful for her time spent at the department.
“The community has always meant a lot to me; I was brought up in law enforcement. One of my mentors taught me to get out of my car and go talk to my community,” said McDonald. “I always liked that because if the community knows who you are and what you’re about, when misunderstandings come along, they’re not going to waver with you.
“Levelland is a great community, but now I feel like it’s time for somebody to fill the role.”