Victoria Paris originally wanted to be an attorney, but after meeting with several Princeton police officers, she decided to change direction and became a law enforcement officer instead.

And she hasn’t looked back.

Paris said while she was attending Eastfield College, she had a professor who was also an assistant police chief. As part of his class, she par­ticipated in the citizen police academy, and after completing the full 13 weeks of education, she found she enjoyed it.

Aside from the academy, Paris had also worked as an intern with several attorneys, giving her a better perspective of her career path.

“I was able to see both sides and decided on becoming a po­lice officer,” she said.

Paris first met with Princ­eton police officers at a recruit­ing event at Eastfield College. She said she heard good things about the city’s growth, and af­ter completing a ride along, she applied to the department. Soon after, she attended the police academy.

“I just loved everything about it when I did the acad­emy,” she said. “It was a great experience for me.”

The Fort Worth native moved to Princeton in 2019 and has been a member of the Princeton Police Depart­ment for two years. She said she wants to stay with the de­partment, ultimately climbing the ranks to be a detective or working as a recruiter for the department.

“As we continue to grow, there will be different posi­tions that come up,” she said. “At some point, I’d be interested in one of those, depend­ing on what types of positions open up.”

For the full story, see the Apr. 22 issue or subscribe online.

By Dustin Butler • [email protected]