Rhonda Komes, of North Aurora, knew she was meant to be a police officer. Since she was in high school, Komes wanted to be a woman in blue.

Her pursuit of police work as a career and the fine job she has done since becoming a police officer helped lead the Waubonsee Community College Board of Trustees to name Komes as Featured Alumnus for December 2002.

Fully aware of the potential dangers of the job, sometimes especially for a woman, her father talked her out of her pursuit. For a few years after high school, Komes received training and worked as a dental assistant. Komes said it wasn’t a bad job, it just wasn’t for her.

In 1986, she couldn’t resist the pull any longer and took the first step to fulfilling her longtime dream. She enrolled in the Criminal Justice program at Waubonsee Community College in Sugar Grove. She earned a certificate along the way, and in 1991 she earned an Associate in Applied Science degree in Criminal Justice. While a student at Waubonsee, Komes also worked as a cadet in the college’s Public Safety department.

“Working as a cadet at Waubonsee helped me a lot in learning about the profession. It gave me practical knowledge about police work,” said Komes. She also gained valuable insight into the realities of police work.

Criminal Justice Professor Neal Lippold was her mentor. “He gave me wisdom about things you can’t read in a book,” Komes related.

Shortly after earning her degree, she landed a job with the Batavia Police Department, becoming only the second female officer in the department’s history. She also was the first woman to receive the department’s Officer of the Year Award, which she won in 1992. She still is just one of two women on the force. “I hold my own,” Komes said. “In this job, you can’t really let things bother you.”

For the most part, her gender isn’t an issue to the other members of the force, she said. Neither is her size. At 5’ 2”, some might, and have, said she’s too small for her role. “Size has nothing to do with it. It’s your mentality, your attitude,” Komes said.

Komes, 36, said she always tries her hardest. “I always try to give 110 percent,” she said. Currently, most of that energy is going into learning about gangs. Komes is one of a handful of officers who serves on the department’s gang intervention unit.

“It started in `92-93 when people started realizing that gangs are here to stay,” Komes said.

Komes and the other officers in the unit are the on-staff gang experts. In addition to other roles, they attend regular seminars to stay up-to-date on gangs and gang activity. Among other things, they learn about what to look for, such as new graffiti in the Batavia area. If they do notice anything, they increase patrols in needed areas, she said. Keeping informed is a continual process. “Gangs are actually very complex,” she said.

Komes also is the officer in charge on the midnight shift. She works 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. and said the hours work well with her husband’s schedule; Tom Oker is a lieutenant with the Naperville fire department. Since she is expecting their first child this spring, Komes is currently on light duty with the police department.

Having a spouse in a similar line of duty, helps, she said. “In police work there’s a high divorce rate,” she added. Spouses sometimes don’t understand the rigors of the job or the emotions that go with it. Although she tries not to, sometimes she brings work home with her – her worries or concerns. Police work, she related, requires a different mentality. “If you internalize, you would not be able to get on with your job,” she said.

By the nature of their job, the officers need to stay in control and be calm in any situation, she said. That control enables people in life-saving occupations to help people. Helping people is the most rewarding part of her job and the reason she became a police officer. “I like dealing with people. We’re always there to help them. Granted, they don’t always like us,” she said.

Domestic disturbance calls are particularly tricky. The police officers are liked when they’re called to a scene to help. Then, once the officers get the situation under control and attempt to make an arrest, they become the villains, she added.

Police officers also handle all of the catch-all calls. They deal with animal control issues, fix flat tires, “anything not even remotely police work,” Komes said. “There’s nothing in the phone book on whom to call for all that miscellaneous stuff,” she said. So, people call police officers. Komes said she enjoys it all. And
even though it may sound like a cliché, she said there is no such thing as a routine call.

A few months ago, while working the night shift, Komes was doing a routine check of the jail. Juvenile prisoners are checked every 15 minutes. Adults are checked every half hour. As she was walking through, she saw one prisoner hanging in his cell. She quickly cut him down and was able to save his life.

She said it was unsettling to walk through the jail and come upon such a scene. Her quick actions recently earned her a Life Saving Award from the Batavia City Council. She said the award is nice, she was just grateful she was able to save the prisoners life. And yet, it’s all part of the job. “No matter what, you’re always going to try to save someone’s life,” she said.

Police officers are more frequently finding themselves in the position where they can save a life. Komes said because they’re already in their cars while on patrol, they’re often the first ones to respond to any medical calls. For that reason, the cars are getting equipped with automatic defibrillators.

In her profession, Komes said it’s important to keep learning. She continues to get training when possible. She also completed her bachelor’s degree from National Louis University and is looking to begin work on a master’s degree. “The biggest thing is you always have to keep your training up and don’t ever let your guard down,” Komes said.

Komes said police work can be a dangerous job and a rewarding job. It’s definitely the job for her.

For those interested in the profession, Waubonsee Community College offers several options in the Criminal Justice program. Jill Wold, associate dean for Social Science, Education and Instructional Support at Waubonsee, said the college offers a quality selection of Criminal Justice courses to students.

For students planning to enter the police force, an associate in science degree is available with a Criminal Justice emphasis. The degree is also available completely online.

Wold said the college also offers an Associate in Applied Science degree in Criminal Justice. For officers already working in the field, certificates are available in specific areas to boost their training. Certificates are offered in Advanced Police Skills, Commercial Security Operations and Police-Community Relations.

Wold said there are a lot of scheduling options in the program in addition to regular courses and the online degree. To make the courses accessible, Wold added there is usually at least one course offered each semester via the two-way interactive system and several dual credit courses are offered with some area high schools.

More information about the Criminal Justice program at Waubonsee Community College is available by calling the Counseling and Advising Center at (630) 466-7900 ext. 2361.