Thomasville officer makes quick impact on the job

By Darrick Ignasiak
The Dispatch


May 18, 2011

TTHOMASVILLE | Months into the job, Jessica Ortiz hasn't had the typical rookie experience with the Thomasville Police Department.

Ortiz, who is believed to be Thomasville's first female Spanish-speaking officer, was sworn in during an official ceremony last week. But Ortiz, a Florida native, has kept a low profile from the public — purposely.

She became a Thomasville police officer in September during a private ceremony of just close friends and family, and she's gone under the radar because the department did not want to reveal her identity. That's because she was taking part in a huge undercover bust of the Las Estrellas Sports Bar and Night Club on Midland Avenue in Thomasville.

Assigned to the undercover investigation as her first detail, Ortiz had absolutely no experience in law enforcement. She had just graduated from Davidson County Community College Basic Law Enforcement training last June.

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