SACRAMENTO, Calif. — As a child growing up in Guam, Alicia Marie Pangelinan said she never imagined she'd work for the Sacramento Police Department along with her father, Officer Thomas Pangelinan.
"My dad was out here in California looking for a job,” Alicia Marie recalled. “I was told he was joining a police academy...Sac PD's academy. I was so excited. I was waiting for him. I would talk to him every day on the phone."
She was captivated by his stories of tackling bad guys in the capital city of California.
"After telling me these stories, I kind of just wanted to follow in his footsteps and help everyone I can out on the street," Alicia Marie said.
Thomas said he initially tried to discourage Alicia Marie from pursuing a career in law enforcement.
"But she's a little stubborn," he said.
Alicia Marie started as a student trainee after the Sacramento Police Department reinvested in Community Service Officers (CSOs). ABC10 was there for the first CSO graduation in 15 years. Alicia Marie is one of the newest graduates.
"I’m very proud. I got to actually pin her badge on,” Thomas said. “So now we're here and we're working out of the same station basically, just different shifts."
Alicia Marie takes cold reports such as burglary, stolen vehicles, and missing person investigations. That frees up patrol officers, like her dad, to respond to priority calls.
"Everyone I work with, I know they are great cops,” Thomas said. “And I know they are going to back her up. But there's still that parent side of you. I still worry, but I try not to show it because she's a big girl. She's going to do her thing, and I'm just going to step back and support her any way I can."
The police department said response times have dropped about 20 or 25 minutes in the last year thanks to Alicia Marie and other community service officers like her. The 23-year-old is now getting the work experience she'll need to allow her to follow in her father's footsteps. She said they've come a long way from those days in Guam.
"Dream come true?” ABC10 asked. “Absolutely,” replied Alicia Marie.