By Steven Shaff, NAU Media Relations

GLENDALE, Ariz. - Lacey Tolbert could always shoot. It is also a skill that comes in handy in her job as a police officer for the Glendale Police Department. In her fifth year on the force, she works with a specialty unit called the Neighborhood Response Squad working with drug and narcotic-related issues.

“I was raised and had grown up in Glendale so it was a natural (fit) for me to want to go back there,” said Tolbert. “I wanted to give back to a community that raised me.”

The Glendale native and former Moon Valley High School product played basketball at Northern Arizona University from 2000-04. She finished her career as the eighth player in team history to score 1,000 career points and first Arizona prep product to accomplish the feat at NAU. She was also the first player in team history to record 300 points and 100 assists in a season.

After graduating with a degree in criminal justice and a minor in sociology, Tolbert worked as a substitute teacher for a year while pursuing a coaching career.

“I always came back to wanting to be a police officer,” said Tolbert, who was a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-District VIII selection. “I had done some ride alongs and thought it was right up my alley.”

Five years later, Tolbert loves every aspect of the job. After starting on patrol, she has moved into her current role with the specialty unit called the Neighborhood Response Squad.

“I love that I am not tied to a desk,” said Tolbert, who was the Female Golden Eagle Scholar Athlete of the Year in 2004. “It is different and exciting every single day. There is a lot of variety and I work with really great people. There are so many areas that you can work to specialize in and different things you can get good at or help make things better. Some people do not see that but we are really out there making a difference.”

She credits her athletic background with her transition onto the force.

“I think I was very well prepared going into this line of work because of my experience playing basketball,” said Tolbert. “For a long time, my life was basketball and that was my identity.

“I had to transition from being a basketball player my whole life to finding something to make a living. It was not going to be in basketball. It was hard at first. Now that I am a cop it is almost as if the basketball career was preparing me for it. I am very grateful for my playing experience because it made me so much better at what I do now from my communication skills to my work ethic. There is something to be said with playing at a high level and how that translates into other areas of your life.”

While Tolbert is often around difficult and emotional situations, she looks at the positive results she can help create.

“We are dealing with the negative and sad things in society and it takes a special person,” said Tolbert. “It is extremely interesting knowing you can help someone at the lowest part of their life even though they cannot see you are helping them. The majority of people are not equipped to handle the emotional strain that this job puts on people. I am a police officer and I have a special respect for people that do this job because we are willing to do things most people are not willing to do.”

DID YOU KNOW…Junior All-American David McNeill finished second and fellow junior Jordan Chipangama placed fifth to lead the Northern Arizona men's cross country team to its second fourth-place finish in three years and third consecutive Top 10 finish at the 2009 NCAA Cross Country Championships.