WOMAN Corporal Hodel Harris, the 2013/2014 LASCO/Jamaica Constabulary Force Police Officer of the Year, would have wanted to live her life no other way than she is at present.

Harris, the second woman police officer from Area 2 to cop the award, said her dream growing up has always been to enter the security forces.

“I grew admiring police officers with the shine shoes and the shine buttons and I have always wanted it,” the 29-year-old said.

But although she wanted to become a police officer, her parents were not in full support of her career choice at first.

“My mother was not thrilled about the idea. She wanted me to probably become a bank teller, but I persevered and I went on and did what I wanted to do. It was just months before going to training school that I told her about it. Right now my mom is here and is moved to tears because of my achievement,” she said at the awards ceremony at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel last week.

The corporal currently serves at the Port Maria Community Safety and Security Branch in St Mary.

She said she loves her job and is using it as a tool to motivate and touch the lives of Jamaicans.

“I love working with the community. I love changing the notion of persons who think that the police are the bad ones. Most times when I speak with somebody, initially they hate the police. However, after I am finished with them, they have some appreciation of what I do and why I am a police officer, and to respect, if not love the police,” she said.

Harris entered the JCF after graduating from Fern Court High School and Moneague College.

She is now some courses away from completing her Bachelor’s degree with a major in project management at the University College of the Caribbean.

Meanwhile, Sergeant Anthony Wallace and Corporal Patrae Rowe were selected the first and second runners up.

Harris was given a trophy and a cash prize of $250,000 from LASCO.