![Experience, expertise, and passion: Bakersfield Police Department offers a chance to a second career](https://behindthebadge.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Barakat-702x468.jpg)
Experience, expertise, and passion: Bakersfield Police Department offers a chance to a second career
0Samah Barakat celebrated her 40th birthday in the most unforgettable way – fulfilling her dream of becoming a police officer as a recruit in the Bakersfield Police Academy. On that day there weren’t any banners or black helium balloons that read “Over the Hill.” If anything, having a milestone birthday while in the middle of accomplishing a dream made her feel anything was possible, no matter how many candles were on her birthday cake. “I’ve wanted to be a police officer all of my life. I used to watch American television shows when I was a kid and I thought…
![Baker to Vegas endurance run concludes with a flourish for rookie team](https://behindthebadge.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/73B8F17D-0A95-428C-8824-E97AE8D29784-Greg-Mellen-351x185.jpg)
Santa Ana Police Detective Eva Lopez was nearly at a loss for words as she recovered from her early morning…
![O.C. law enforcement agencies gear up for Baker to Vegas challenge](https://behindthebadge.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/337514380_638176221452965_403448609206402838_n-351x185.jpg)
The Baker to Vegas Challenge Cup is one of the great true grit in athletic events in law enforcement, testing…
![Bakersfield Police Department launches youth diversion program that puts teens in the jury seat](https://behindthebadge.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/IMG-2223-351x185.jpg)
Bakersfield police officers often sit in on court cases, but on a recent Wednesday, Detective Sandeep Malhi and Captain Clayton Madden…
![Finding zen in equestrian life](https://behindthebadge.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/anderberg_horse.jpeg-351x185.jpg)
Bakersfield Police Officer Nicole Anderberg is the first to admit that up until a year ago, her experience with horses…