Some police officers enter the force not knowing if there is a specific area they’d like to focus on. That wasn’t the case with East Lampeter Township Police Officer Samuel Sanger, who was immediately drawn to DUI enforcement when he became an officer 21 years ago.

“It’s just something that kind of stuck with me from the very beginning with my Field Training Officer Lisa Gehr,” Sanger said. “She has had a huge impact on my career, whoever is your FTO can make or break your career as a Police Officer. I just started rolling with it and never looked back. I have a passion for getting impaired drivers off the road and saving as many lives as possible.”

Sanger said he’ll likely continue fighting against impaired driving even once he retires. Finding that passion was a key reason he joined and has had success in the field. His job is even more important in a township that has high-traffic areas with the Tanger/Rockvale outlets and Dutch Wonderland.

He learned from mentors including Officer Gehr and his older brother, Trooper Will Sanger, who worked at the West Lampeter Township Police Department before moving over to the Pennsylvania State Police. The brothers worked in the neighboring township departments for 14 years.

“He played a big part in me wanting to be a Police Officer,” the younger Sanger said. “I followed his footsteps and went to college to become one and then followed him to Lancaster County. I haven’t had any other desire to do anything but police work.”

Sanger grew up in Lebanon County and obtained his associate degree in criminal justice/law enforcement administration from Pensacola Christian College in Florida. He returned to Pennsylvania and worked as a security officer at Hershey Chocolate for a few years before attending Harrisburg Area Community College (HACC) for the Police Academy, where he graduated from in 2003.

He put in over 20 applications to multiple departments after graduating to see what would stick. East Lampeter Township Police Department called and he’s been there ever since.

“My favorite part of being a Police Officer is just being around people on the front lines, helping as many people that will allow me to help them, and living for others,” Sanger said. “I like not knowing what my day holds and just going to work, dealing with the public, and trying to do my job to the best of my abilities.”

Sanger’s workday can range from writing tickets to making DUI arrests to responding to a domestic violence situation or a theft from a business.

“Every day at work is different,” he said. “You do handle a lot of the same type of calls and the same people from time to time, but I still love the work behind it.”

Sanger feels attention can be occasionally focused solely on the negative side of police work and rarely shedding light on the positives. Social media can show only part of a situation and cause people to jump to conclusions without having all the facts.

“We all have our opinions on matters and we as a society will likely never fully agree on everything, but If we hold judgement until all of the facts are present then we’d have a much clearer picture of the turn of events and incidents involving police.”

He feels most officers are in this line of work to help others and sometimes the rare cases of officers who don’t follow policy or the law can make the rest of law enforcement look bad.

“I’m not saying we don’t make mistakes like any other employee at any other job,” Sanger said. “I know we are held to a higher standard, and I welcome that. We are also human and have families like any other person.”

Outside of work, Sanger described himself as a laid-back, positive guy who enjoys humor in sarcasm and jokes. He gets his mind off work by spending time with his family, watching the Phillies, and mowing the lawn.

“We all have our stresses to provide for our families and live a good life,” he said.

Sanger’s occupation just happens to be a Police Officer, which he has enjoyed being for 21 years chasing his passion of deterring impaired driving and making the roadways of Lancaster County a safer place for everyone.

“I don’t know how many years I’ll continue to be an officer,” Sanger said. “But these past 21 years have flown by so quickly. I still love doing what I’m doing and have made many friendships with all kinds of people from all facets of life. I’ll continue to serve the residents of East Lampeter Township to the best of my ability.”

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