Question: What do the little sister you never wanted, an impromptu cow wrangler and a former trauma health care professional have in common?
Answer: They’re all law enforcement officers here at the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department!
For our October employee profile, we’re introducing three female law enforcement officers who are excelling in their roles and making sure Lexington County remains the safe place we love to call home.
Deputy Hannah Joslin
Confidence, a second family and the gratitude of the community are just some of the things Deputy Joslin has gotten from her role here at LCSD.
Going into law enforcement was a childhood dream come true for Joslin, the daughter of a retired state trooper.
Since joining the department in February 2021, her career and skills have gone from strength to strength, challenging stereotypes along the way.
“There’s a stereotype that only men or taller women can be in law enforcement, and I don’t fit that stereotype,” she explains.
A high flier in our department, Joslin credits her West Region co-workers, or “second family,” for great early career support and a warm sense of community.
“I’m like the annoying little sister they never wanted, but they got anyways,” Joslin jokes.
“We all hang out after shift. We go to each other’s houses. We have cookouts, stuff like that.”
West Region and the whole of LCSD are grateful to have Deputy Joslin as part of the family, and look forward to seeing her continue to break barriers and excel in her career.
Deputy Kalie Natale
From military police soldier to the Sheriff’s Department, Deputy Natale’s law enforcement career has been a wild ride since she left her hometown in Ohio at just 19 years old.
Quickly forming strong bonds with her fellow night shift co-workers, role models such as K-9 Deputy Candi Shealy have inspired Natale to work hard and follow her dreams.
She says her time at the department has helped her become more patient, find a sterner voice and taught her to improvise when facing the unexpected.
A middle-of-the-night call about a cow in Swansea even found her putting her lassoing skills and creativity to the test.
“I guess I’m just not prepared to wrangle cows every day, but I ended up taking some crime
scene tape and making it into a lasso and trying to get the cow,” Natale said. “Thankfully, there was a neighbor across the street who let me use some of her rope, and she let us put him back in the yard.”
No stranger to hard work, Natale is also studying Criminal Justice online at South University with an eye on continuing to progress her law enforcement career in the Major Crimes Unit.
Deputy Katelyn Knipher
Rewind a few years and you’d find Deputy Knipher in scrubs, not in uniform. Having earned a degree in biology, she worked in a trauma hospital ER for five years.
After stepping away from health care, Knipher discovered she could find many of the things she’d loved about medicine through a career in law enforcement.
“I loved the adrenaline behind it,” Kniphfer said. “I loved helping people, getting to be there for people on their worst days, and I still get to do that”.
Knipher credits her fellow deputies for not only making the switch a success but for helping her come out of her shell and fall in love with her new career.
Continuing to look to the future, Knipher sees many opportunities to combine her biology background and law enforcement experience in the Narcotics Unit or as a tactical medic on the SWAT team.
Having gained valuable insight into law enforcement through job shadowing, she wants other people to make the most of these experiences and find a career they love.
“There are a lot of people who are meant for it and are too scared to go into the field,” Kniphfer explains. “We have an internship program and we have ride-alongs…just come hang out with us for a day.”
A big thank you to Deputies Joslin, Natale and Knipher from everyone at the department and in the community for your continued dedication and service. If you’re inspired by their career stories, you can learn more about who we are and what we stand for on our dedicated recruitment website. You’ll find more information about the different roles in law enforcement, as well as what makes LCSD a great place to work.