West Earl Township Police Officer Samantha Heise was accustomed to living in an area with a lot of hustle and bustle growing up in New Jersey, a couple miles outside of New York City.

It took time before she adapted to the serene lifestyle of Lancaster County.

“The world is slowed down here,” Heise said. “I am from New Jersey and lived there for 25 years. It’s a very fast-paced life there. There are plenty of jokes to go around between the differences, but I find myself becoming more part of Lancaster County.”

A lack of bagelries that met her standard and the learning curve on how to pass a horse-and-buggy safely/properly were a few of those jokes, but Heise has come to enjoy everything Lancaster County has to offer.

“Here in Lancaster County, you have more time to enjoy,” she said. “This county has comradery. You get local markets with fresh food; you can go into Lancaster city and enjoy many restaurants and then come out to the peaceful countryside.”

Heise has worked in the northeast corner of the county with West Earl Township Police Department for the past two years. She worked as an officer at Millersville University for three years prior.

She wasn’t always sure she wanted to be a police officer, but looking back on it she can point to multiple experiences that ultimately led her to the profession.

“My DARE officer in fifth grade showed a different side of policing,” she said. “When I was younger, I witnessed incidents involving police that I thought could have been handled differently and wanted to provide that for others.”

Heise wants to change the misconception that successful officers are always aggressive, something she thinks has been falsely portrayed through movies and TV shows. She thinks effective communication and de-escalation are useful tactics to diffuse situations.

“The public and media typically see the sad and scary realities of life when it comes to policing,” Heise said. “The negative aspects are shown more. The truth is policing every day means thousands of positive encounters with people.”

Heise graduated from West Virginia University with a bachelor’s degree in criminology and then obtained her master’s degree in criminal justice and terrorism studies from John Jay College in New York City, which further solidified her passion in law enforcement.

The terroristic attacks of 9/11 were a key catalyst to her wanting to get her graduate degree. She remembers seeing the billowing smoke rolling toward her home in New Jersey after her mom picked her up early from school that day.

“I thought to myself how and why someone could do this,” she said. “I wanted to be part of the help and pursue law enforcement.”

She applied to the Lackawanna Police Academy, graduated, and then sent her application to prospective police departments. One thing stood out most in completing the academy training.

“I got pepper sprayed,” Heise said with a laugh. “It takes a second for it to really burn. It feels like there’s a million needles and a hot sensation. We also had the option to get tased, but I just had my third kiddo, and I was like, ‘nah.’ I’ll do it eventually.”

Heise has progressed into a role as the West Earl PD’s Public Information Officer where she interacts with the community and, most recently, has set up the department’s coffee with a cop and national night out events. She also frequently communicates with local schoolteachers in holding events and having a police presence within the schools.

Heise hopes to eventually become a school resource officer and then a detective with an interest in solving and deterring violent crime and crimes involving special victims.

“I enjoy all the processes that detective work entails,” Heise said. “I like the nitty gritty where you have to weed through the details to find out what happened.”

Heise is a mom of three girls and typically spends her free time with them. She enjoys exercising on her Peloton and hanging out with her English Bulldog Wallace. Her husband is a sergeant with the Lititz Borough Police Department, so it’s convenient to speak about hard experiences on the job with each other. The duo completes house projects and takes the kids to different parks throughout the county when they have free time.

She also mentioned the Lancaster Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) team that has provided guidance to her after she has responded to situations that are difficult to digest.

Heise doesn’t come from a family with roots in law enforcement; she landed on the career due to her sheer desire to help others while bringing a fresh perspective to the profession.

“I think this is an important job more than ever, police departments all over need first responders,” Heise said. “I am not going to lie it is hard on families, but you work through it, and you appreciate the many sacrifices that come with the job. You get to help communities and those in need. There’s nothing more rewarding than giving others time to talk to you and you giving them a hand when they most need it.”

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