With her small stature, freckles and red hair, Courtney Larson could easily be mistaken for anything other than what she is, which is a supervisor at the Campbell County Jail.

 

Larson, who is in her fourth year as a corrections officer, knows she has made many sacrifices to work the third shift at the county jail, but as a mother, she knows the job isn’t just about her.

“It’s very hard with a family,” she said. Yet despite the costs, Larson understands the work she does is part of making the community better for her children.

Last year, the 27-year-old was given the opportunity to work with a women’s diversion program aimed at helping women put their lives back together.

“I saw a whole different side of things,” she said. In the program women with misdemeanor convictions, who had lost custody of their children, were given the resources to find community supports and avenues to assist in regaining custody of their children. The program did help a few of the participants before it lost its funding, she said. “It was definitely worth it,” Larson said of the time put in the program.

She also believes the empathy she felt for the women came from her being a mother.

As with others who came to work at the jail from different fields, Larson wasn’t sure what to expect of her new job.

Her first day was “nerve racking,” she said. While she expected a chaotic atmosphere filled with conflict, it was the opposite.

“It was completely different from what I expected,” she said. Once inside the jail, Larson saw people who “have made mistakes” and were hoping for another chance at their lives.

“Corporal Larson brings dedication and initiative to her job,” said Campbell County Sheriff Robbie Goins. “We are fortunate to have her working with us.”

Larson, who is one of six females in supervisory roles at the jail, believes Goins realizes the drive and work ethic these six bring to their roles. “He (Goins) sees the work we do and gives us the opportunities.”

And she is hoping for more opportunities in the future and isn’t ruling out being a road officer.

“I will stay in law enforcement in some form,” she said.  (WLAF NEWS PUBLISHED – 01/18/2019-6AM)

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