When we hear or read about first responders, nurses are sometimes mentioned. They are at the ER doors when ambulances roll in with exigent cases requiring triage amid gory and graphic realities. Registered nurses tend to patients before an ER physician broadens the charts. Some patients are inconsolable and feisty, engendering de-escalation techniques.
Sounds a lot like what is always on the plate of law enforcement officers, huh?
It is definitely comparable, minus the duty belt cops where and all the perils that come with policing the mean streets and jailing some evil people.
I discovered a young lady whose prior career trajectory in health administration wound up electing to take a course in criminal justice while pursuing her nursing degree.
Before the badge, Kayla Scott “was pursuing a Health Services degree at Florida Gulf Coast University when she selected a Criminal Justice course as an elective. That class changed her whole perspective, and Scott switched to a double major in Criminal Justice and Forensic Studies.”
Double major means grasping the reins of two horses…which will always garner my respect for whoever demonstrates hard-working ways and having an alternate plan. A trait that serves well in law enforcement: A backup plan.
“The things we learned about in that CJ [criminal justice] class were so exciting and I just became enthusiastic about pursuing a law enforcement career,” Scott said. “It’s something I found I had a passion for.”
Remembering my college experience, I majored in criminology but my brain cells were also excited with material engendering psychology, sociology, and marine biology. I can relate to the passion she talks about.
Well before my police career would commence, I always harbored the oft-mentioned notion of cops wearing many hats and putting a melting pot of knowledge to use as they go from call to call. Ms. Scott may have had the same mindset…
According to a bio from the Lee County Sheriff’s office in southwest Florida, “While attending FGCU [Florida Gulf Coast University], Scott worked in the Emergency Room at Lee Memorial Hospital.”
Ms. Scott chimed in: “One of the things we had to learn there was how to de-escalate situations with patients who were upset or became unruly.”
With that analogy and transition, a juncture segued to a change in plans: she traded her stethoscope for a five-point star and spent long shifts around people who were caught doing bad things and incarcerated.
Speaking of junctures, Ms. Scott could have continued her studies in Health Services and Criminal Justice, combining both as a nurse working in the Medical Section of the jail.
(Photo courtesy of the Lee County Sheriff’s Office.)
Instead, she opted to go all-in. She applied, was accepted, and attended a police academy, accomplishing state certification as a law enforcement officer.
Per the Lee County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson: “While completing her studies at FGCU, Scott went through the academy in 2019 and was hired as a Corrections Deputy. She began working nights at the main jail.”
(Photo courtesy of the Lee County Sheriff’s Office.)
In retrospect and touching upon her experience working at the hospital, Scott says, “I developed a calming voice, and I think that serves me well in my current position in Booking [at the Lee County Jail].”
Although I never worked in the detention aspects of law enforcement, during my visits to our county jail (entering arrestees into our criminal justice system), I never had glee over being in lockup facilities. The hate is palpable; irresponsible people love threatening cops who catch them, acting out, catching additional charges while in custody behind many bars and several vault-like doors.
In a nutshell, I respected detention deputies who had the unenviable responsibility of maintaining jail populations containing many people who went against the grain of society and wound up with severely curtailed liberty. That often evokes desperation and anger in some. Who do they typically act out against? Jailers.
Peace officers who staff the jails (confinement up to one year or less) and prisons (beyond one year of incarceration after conviction) often find themselves in the reticles of hardened types whose life course largely comprised being locked up.
Deputy Scott experienced the tension of working around/with folks jailed until the courts decide their fate…
“It was a little intimidating, at first. Starting out so young and having to give commands to inmates who are older took a little time, but I had great training and supervisors.”
However, her perspective conveys balance: “I’ve always enjoyed being able to help people and we have that opportunity here. For some people, it’s their first time being arrested and coming to jail, so emotions and tensions can run high. I try to be a calming voice and explain the process, the next steps, and things like that. Yes, they are inmates, but [they are] people too, and I try to develop a rapport with them.”
Seems Ms. Scott’s university studies, positive outlook, and humanitarian heart have scored dividends. In May 2024, she was promoted to Master Corporal, affording more time for administrative duties such as decision-making, operational success, and the usual reams of paperwork involved in law enforcement roles.
Like any cop climbing the ladder by stellar work and dedication to duty, Master Corporal Scott listened to her superiors and paid it forward by training newer recruits in detention services of the sheriff’s office…
“My supervisors have pushed me in a good way and have helped me get where I am. I’m also a Field Training Officer [FTO] so I help new hires get situated. I’ve trained a lot of the younger guys we have here.”
Like Master Corporal Scott, I thoroughly enjoyed my time as an FTO training our department’s newest cops, sharing shifts in a cruiser, and experiencing everything that came along with each tour of duty.
Before I factually learned about the part of her I am about to share, I had a growing feeling that Master Corporal Scott had no intention to rest on her laurels.
In 2022, she once again dipped her toes into education, attending graduate classes for which she earned a Master’s Degree in Management conferred by the University of Florida.
“I’m grateful for the opportunities LCSO has provided,” Master Corporal Scott noted. “Morale is high here at the jail and supervisors are rooting for all of us to succeed. That makes it a great place to work, and I enjoy what I do.”One more thing: Master Corporal Scott is a married mother of three children, an eight-year-old son, a five-year-old daughter, and an 11-month-old daughter with whom she does “mommy things.”
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