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Printer-Friendly ModePolice officer leaves after 23 years
September 11, 2006 —
Sergeant Bethany K. Rusch will be leaving the University Police Department Thursday after 23 years on the force.
Rusch is leaving her position with the department to take a position as an investigator with the IRS at its Flint office. On Monday, she will report to the IRS Training Center in Independence, Ohio to begin a 53-week training program that will take her both in and out of state until her training is complete.
Rusch says she has been looking for a new position for a while after coming to terms that she could not be an officer forever.
"I think I decided a couple years ago that I wanted to do something else," she says. "I don't want to be a police officer when I'm 50."
Before Rusch began seriously looking for a new position, she decided to first update her resume. Though she had earned both Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Criminal Justice from SVSU, she felt that the fact that her last degree had come in 1987 could hold her back. So, Rusch returned to school, this time earning a graduate certificate in Human Resource Administration from Central Michigan University.
"I think I've done everything that I've wanted to," she says, "and I've been able to do more than what many police officers do."
Rusch was hired into the Police Department as a part-time patrol officer in 1983 before getting a full-time position in January of 1984. When she was hired, the Department consisted of only three other officers: the chief, the sergeant, and current Chief of Police Ron Trepkowski, who has worked alongside Rusch for all 23 years she's been with the University.
"It's sort of like when your kids grow up," Trepkowski says of Rusch. "You see them grow, change, and develop and then one day, they're gone."
While Rusch has earned awards and been a part of numerous programs during her time at SVSU, she cites her part in creating the Saginaw County Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) as one of her greatest achievements. In 2001, Rusch aided in developing the program that allows forensically trained nurses to conduct rape kits on sexual assault victims at no cost to the individual. The program provides victims an alternative to the emergency room, cutting down wait times and allowing trained specialists to conduct the examination. Rusch believes that having someone specifically trained in that area has on some level helped raise the conviction rate for sexual assaults.
In addition to her work with SART, Rusch says she has also enjoyed watching the University grow. She is also proud of the fact that SVSU has defied the odds, maintaining its low crime rate despite the growing population.
Rusch believes that her profession is a noble one and is happy she was able to help so many people during her career. Some of those she helped even include those she has worked with, according to Trepkowski, who said Rusch brought something special to the department.
"Beth always reminded me and other staff that life's too short to fret about the small stuff," he says. "I think the department members that have been with the department a long time will miss her, but we also realize that it's a great opportunity for her."
While Rusch moves on for her new position, she won't forget where she came from or the people she met while she was here.
"I've made some good friendships," Rusch says. "I've been very fortunate to work with some great police officers.”