East Cocalico Police Officer Rachael Odenwalt’s interest in law enforcement was always there under the surface, but after following a different path in college and working as a civilian at a local police department, it took constant nudges from her colleagues for her to finally realize that interest.

“I did not originally go to school to become a police officer,” Odenwalt said. “It was something totally opposite. But looking back on it now, I had an awesome D.A.R.E. officer that helped me through some pretty traumatic experiences when I was in middle and high school.

“Ultimately I think I was meant to do this all along because I was able to make it through those experiences and come out on the other side.”

Odenwalt grew up in Montgomery County and graduated with a degree in fashion from Albright College before working as an administrative assistant with West Lampeter Police Department from 2014 until 2020.

“When I was working at West Lampeter as an admin I assisted the officers with records and anything else that they needed,” she said. “As I worked in the office, I would watch the officers run out the door and felt like I was being left behind. They told me for years to go to the academy because they could tell I wanted to do this. I thought, ‘I’m a mom I can’t go now.’ I loved my job, but I just wanted to do more. Then I thought about how much I wanted to be out in the public trying to help and I made the decision to go. I wish I would’ve done it years ago.”

Odenwalt went to Harrisburg Area Community College’s Police Academy and graduated in 2020; she started with East Cocalico Police Department in 2021.

She recently became certified in crime scene investigation through training with the Pennsylvania State Police and is also a certified car-set technician. Her favorite part of the job is being out in the community.

“I organize our National Night Out event,” she said. “We found that a lot of kids were scared to come to our table. I started to go into the elementary schools, hang out with them so they wouldn’t be scared. I read to them. We don’t want them to be scared to talk to us. That’s the big focus. I like hanging out with the kids and trying to make a difference so if they ever have a need, they can come talk to us.”

Odenwalt values the importance of having community-based events for police such as the Kiddie Day at the Denver Fair, where she had a stand set up to give gift bags to children and allowed them to go inside her cruiser.

“Our jobs are so much more than just arresting people and citing traffic violations,” she said.

Her next goal is becoming a detective and specializing in crimes against women and children, something she said overcoming her own trauma has made her extremely passionate in.

“I really want to become a detective,” she said. “Our department is smaller, so we can’t be specialized in one unit, but I really want to investigate crimes against women and children. That’s what I’m really passionate about and I want to advocate for them.”

Odenwalt has a family history in law enforcement as her husband was a correctional officer and Sheriff’s deputy in Lancaster County and her father-in-law was a sergeant for the Lancaster City Bureau of Police and then a detective with the Lancaster County District Attorney’s Office. This provides a solid support system for her to talk about difficult experiences on the job that others might not understand.

She’s just like any everyday person outside of work and likes to spend time with her family; she was looking forward to an upcoming trip to the Outer Banks.

“We are out here to do a job just like a teacher, doctor, or anyone else,” she said. “We have everyday lives that we go back to. We’re here to help the community, figure out any troubles they have, and provide assistance.”

Odenwalt feels fulfilled when she gets a thank you from the public, which occurred after almost every child and family came up to her stand at the Denver Fair. Those are the priceless moments that make a career in law enforcement so valuable to her and many of her brother and sister officers.

“The hours are long, sometimes the pay isn’t the best,” she said. “You have to work nights, weekends, and holidays. But you’re doing it for a greater cause. You’re doing it to help the public. People will come up and say thank you, but I want to thank them, because this is a great community to work in.”

MEDIA CONTACT: Sean McBryan, semcbryan@co.lancaster.pa.us; Twitter: @SeanMcBryanLanc.