Margarita Velasco grew up in Fond du Lac and chose to build her life and career there. After starting in finance, Margarita returned to school to pursue her dream of becoming a police officer.

At FVTC, she earned an associate degree in Criminal Justice and immediately entered the FVTC Law Enforcement Recruit Academy, sponsored by her employer, the City of Fond du Lac Police Department.

Tell us about your current role.

I am a patrol officer with the City of Fond du Lac Police Department. I recently completed my field training program which consists of two weeks of orientation and four phases of doing the job on the road with a trainer. Each phase is with a different trainer, who potentially could be on different shifts. I quickly realized that as a mother and a wife, the second shift was hard to manage. I fortunately had a great support system at home and at work. I cannot tell you how many times I wanted to quit but everybody helped me stay positive and keep moving forward.

My job consists of responding to 911 emergency calls and non-emergency calls. The city is divided into sections so at the start of each shift, I am assigned a section and that is my designated area of patrolling.

What is the best part of your job?

The best part of my job is the fact that no day is the same, and really, no hour is the same. The call type can be the same, such as a call for a reckless driver, but every reckless driver incident is different. For example, one could be responding to their own emergency, one could be operating a motor vehicle while under the influence, one could be an incident of road rage. That said, it also comes with a challenge because your line of questioning and repetition is different. As an officer, you want to make it an appropriate outcome but navigating that outcome is different for every call.

Another thing I enjoy about my job is the impact that you can have on someone’s life. Unfortunately, when officers are called, we are most likely dealing with somebody at the worst time in life. Our positive response to these calls could build positive engagement between community members and law enforcement officers.

Tell us about your path to becoming a police officer.

After high school, I enrolled in the Criminal Justice program at FVTC but soon realized I was not ready to become an officer at such a young age. In high school, I also took a lot of classes in accounting, so I entered the finance field. After having my daughter, I took time to be a stay-at-home mom. Shortly after, I was recruited to return to banking, where I worked for about six years. During that time, I decided I was ready to return to school and pursue my dreams as a police officer.

With support from my husband and parents, I returned to school full-time while also working full-time at a bank and part-time as a Community Service Officer (CSO) with the City of Fond du Lac. I scheduled classes two days a week and worked the other days. Having family support helped me focus on my education.

I graduated with an associate degree in Criminal Justice in December of 2024. At that time, I had already accepted the position of patrol officer with the City of Fond du Lac Police Department, which sponsored me through the January 2025 Law Enforcement Recruit Academy at Fox Valley Technical College.

It was a great relief to know that I could put all my focus and energy into attending the academy and not have to stress about working. The City of Fond du lac Police department paid me to attend the academy and provided transportation to and from Fox Valley Technical College.

What did you enjoy most about your time at FVTC, both as a Criminal Justice student and at the academy?

What I enjoyed the most was the hands-on experience provided by the instructors. The Public Safety Training Center has a training village that allows students the opportunity to practice many real-life scenarios in a safe training environment.

I also enjoyed that all instructors had prior employment experience in the field. They truly understand the material they are teaching and can share real-life experiences.

What advice would you give someone interested in Criminal Justice?

Reach out to different departments and ask to have a ride along with an officer. They are typically in four-hour blocks, so you can ask questions and respond to calls. Another option is to work as a Community Service Officer (CSO). It gives you the opportunity to decide if this field is something you are interested in before making a commitment to school.