[026] Former cop explains joys, problems of law enforcement on ‘MTSU On the Record’

MURFREESBORO — A former police officer with a lot to say about how police are treated by management and perceived by the public will be the guest on the next “MTSU On the Record” radio program.

Host Gina Logue’s interview with MTSU alumna Alley Evola will air from 9:30 to 10 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 8, and from 6 to 6:30 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 13, on WMOT-FM Roots Radio 89.5 and www.wmot.org.

Evola is the author of “So You Want to Be a Cop,” a memoir of her years in law enforcement and some of the roadblocks officers face as they try to perform their jobs.

She graduated from MTSU in 1994 with a bachelor’s degree in mass communications. For nearly 10 years, she worked for a midsized Middle Tennessee police department. She has served as a patrol officer, crime scene technician, field training officer, street-level gang/narcotics unit member and detective assigned to the major crimes unit.

Evola’s police training includes graduation from the Tennessee Law Enforcement Training Academy in Nashville, the Medicolegal Death Investigator’s Course at the St. Louis University School of Medicine, the first-line supervisor’s course at the University of Tennessee-Martin and the Regional Counterdrug Training Academy in Meridian, Mississippi.

While largely positive about her law enforcement experiences, Evola said some administrators apply double standards in dealing with their subordinates.

“The profession of policing remains politically driven and is influenced by many other factors that are outside of what we typically think of as being pertinent to the profession of law enforcement,” said Evola. “All those have a direct impact on how a supervisor responds to a complaint that may be received from the public about one of their officers.”

To hear previous “MTSU On the Record” programs, go to http://bit.ly/mtsu-otr.

For more information, contact Logue at 615-898-5081 or WMOT-FM at 615-898-2800.