Public service runs in Catie Wilson’s family.

Her father was a police officer, her brother is a police officer and her mother was a nurse making it inevitable Wilson would follow the same altruistic path.

From a young age, Wilson was taught to respect people, believing everyone was worthy of a second chance. Today, as a sergeant at the Campbell County Jail, Wilson puts that lesson into practice every day.

TOP PHOTO:  Sergeant Catie Wilson is in her fourth year with the sheriff’s department.

“I hear their stories and I want to help them,” she said of the inmates. “I was raised that everybody deserves a second chance.”

Four years ago, Wilson was working at a plant in Clinton when she applied to be a corrections officer at the county jail. Her father was Bill Woods, a 25- year veteran of the LaFollette Police Department, and her brother, Greg Woods, is the assistant police chief in Rocky Top so stepping into law enforcement was the status quo for her. But that didn’t make it any less daunting.

“It was a little scary,” Wilson said of those first days on the job. While she had grown up hearing her father’s law enforcement stories, she had never seen the inside of a jail before.

Sisters In Arms is a weekly series that is published Fridays here on WLAF

Soon, Wilson’s worries were gone thanks in part to the working atmosphere at the department.

“It is a good environment,” she said. “We are like a family. It is the sheriff that makes the difference.  He tries to make it the best place to work.”

Being a female corrections officer, let alone one in a supervisor’s role, has its challenges. Yet, Wilson embraces each one as an opportunity to help someone.

A typical shift begins with her completing a walk through the jail checking-in with the staff and inmates. While the staff side of her job is filled with administrative duties, it is when she steps in the back that her focus shifts. In the back with the inmates, Wilson is a hybrid corrections officer and social worker.  Many of those incarcerated want to use the phone in hopes of getting into a drug rehabilitation program, she said. Wilson does what she can to help them.

Outside the walls of the jail, Wilson said she can’t go to the grocery store without running into someone that was once in the jail. And in all those meetings, not one has been confrontational, she said. But its when she sees someone who has been able to get their life together, that’s when Wilson feels a slight tinge of relief for them.

“Sgt. Wilson has a true heart for helping people,” said Sheriff Robbie Goins. “She had never worked in law enforcement prior to joining our staff, but she has shown a natural aptitude and leadership skills.”

When Wilson joined the department four years ago, there was only one female sergeant and one female corporal. Now, six women are in leadership roles at the jail. “We can stand with the men and do the job just as well,” she said.

While Wilson has the respect and support of the staff at the department, there are also two other men whose backing she has. Her husband and her son.

“They support me and that is so important,” she said.  (WLAF NEWS PUBLISHED – 12/14/2018-6AM)

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