Erika Hasson, who was beginning her studies at USF St. Petersburg in 2003, now wears a badge for the campus police department.
At 29, Hasson is one of two women out of the 14 officers employed here.
“We do more community policing here at USFSP’s campus, where we interact with students and staff far more than a large department could,” said Hasson.
Midway through her studies, Hasson switched her major from education to criminology and obtained an internship with the St. Petersburg Police Department in her senior year.
She soon discovered an affinity for police work. At the end of her internship, she was accepted to the Southeastern Public Safety Institute Law Enforcement Academy.
During her academy training, she met fellow cadet and future husband Leonard Hasson, who is currently a St. Petersburg Police officer and Navy reservist.
Hasson was one of four female cadets who graduated from the academy.
After graduation from the police academy, she was assigned to patrol a section of St. Petersburg that includes USFSP’s campus.
She eventually applied for a position with USFSP campus police and, while on her honeymoon in March 2013, she was hired. In addition to routine police work, Police Chief David Hendry assigned Hasson to work on policy and accreditation for professional standards.
Her husband was deployed to Kuwait in 2011, and they were engaged upon his return in December 2011. They were married in February 2013 and have one child, Emily, who was born Sept. 16, 2014.
They also has a soft spot for animals. Hasson has an 8-year-old Australian Shepherd mix named Bella, who is a rescue from the SPCA. Mr. Hasson has a corn snake, which had to earn Erika’s approval.
Community policing is a style of policing that emphasizes collaboration between police and the community they serve.
Erika enjoys the confidence of supervisors and co-workers alike, and loves police work.
“Erika genuinely loves working in law enforcement, truly believes in her work and earns the respect of every officer and citizen with which she meets,” said Mr. Hasson. “She inspires me on a daily basis to be the best officer I can.”
