Seilhamer Promoted to Lieutenant
Jan Seilhamer was promoted to the rank of lieutenant on March 25, becoming the first woman to attain command level at Rockville’s police department.
Tell us a bit about how you chose a career in law enforcement.
I have been a police officer for 23 years. I joined the U.S. Army after graduating high school in Maryland and served in Iraq during Operation Desert Storm with the 101st Airborne Division. After my military service, I began my career with the Little Rock (Arkansas) Police Department in January 1996, first as a dispatcher and then as a police officer. I quickly realized that I belonged on the other side of the radio. Sometimes I felt helpless listening to officers respond to calls as I sat in the radio room. I eventually moved back to Maryland to join the Rockville City Police Department in July 1999. Growing up, being a police officer was the furthest thing from my mind. I wanted to be able to do more to help those who were requesting our assistance. I have lost close friends and co-workers who were doing the same job.
With your promotion you became the first woman at the command level of Rockville’s police department. What does this mean to you?
Although I am very proud to be the first woman to be promoted to a command level position within the Rockville City Police Department, I believe we have always had a level playing field. We do not see one another according to our gender or race; we view one another as equal officers doing the same job for the right reasons. We currently have another female officer who is a supervisor in patrol as a sergeant, and another who recently retired. I am excited to be given this opportunity to take my career another step further.
Tell us about your new job and its duties.
I will be the midnight patrol commander. It is important that we have a member of our command staff (ranks of lieutenant and higher) directly involved with policing in the city. Our officers respond to various critical incidents, and, on occasion, command staff are required to be present as a resource for our immediate patrol supervisors (sergeants) when necessary.
What do you enjoy about your job?
I have always been drawn to community policing – to make a positive difference in someone’s life. Even if it only happens once in a police officer’s entire career, it’s worth it. I believe it is crucial to build direct communication and solid bridges with the community we serve. Those bridges should be traveled both ways. I’ve developed a wonderful relationship with many community members. It is because of these relationships that community members won’t hesitate to reach out to me if there is a problem in the neighborhood, or in some cases, at home. Working together, we can continue to make Rockville a wonderful place to live and work.
What’s something the community should know about police officers?
The overwhelming majority of police officers, male or female, are dedicated to upholding the Constitution and law. Police officers die almost daily doing their job. I have chosen this profession for a purpose and I will give my best until the end. To quote Robert Peel [called “the Father of Modern Policing”]: “The police are the public and the public are the police; the police being only members of the public who are paid to give full-time attention to duties which are incumbent on every citizen in the interests of community welfare and existence.”