Brad Rasmussen was made for his job — a perfect fit. Lakeport”s Chief of Police, a position he has held for four years, knows law enforcement thoroughly. Not only did he come from a family devoted to public service, he spent 25 years as a police officer, working various shifts, investigating crimes, solving disputes and patrolling the streets. Although he grew up in Humboldt and studied at the College of the Redwoods, Rasmussen took his first job in Lakeport. He never left.
1. Law enforcement is not an easy job. Why choose it for a career?
I probably got into it because I had family in law enforcement. By the time I was in high school this is what I wanted to do.
2. Did you ever wish you had normal 9-to-5 hours?
I pretty much work normal hours now. But over the years I”ve worked every shift — the night shift. I got used to it.
3. What”s the most difficult aspect of police work?
Oh, I might have to think about that. I would say child crimes [shakes head] — and the frustration of not solving a crime. Our thoughts are mainly with the victim. They want to see things solved. It”s the most important thing to them. We try, but we can”t always solve everything. It”s frustrating.
4. How much of the job is mental?
A lot of it. You have to be alert at all times. You never know what situation you”ll be involved in or what you”ll be called to. There is a mental strain because you can”t let your guard down.
5. Ever watch cop shows on TV?
I do, once in awhile. There are so many of them.
6. Yeah, why is that?
People are generally interested in law enforcement. But it”s not like on the TV shows. We don”t solve felony crimes in an hour or get lab results back in a few minutes.
7. What has been the biggest change over the years?
We”ve had major changes in criminal law. The AB109 realignment in 2009 — that changed a lot of felony crimes. You can look up the details, but it transitioned sentences to the county jails, plus people were transferred from state to county supervision. And now there”s Prop. 47. I didn”t expect to see that. In the past voters wanted ”three strikes and you”re out.” But people look at some crimes differently today.
8. So when the culture changes, your job changes?
Right.
9. But there”s always the police car. What”s it like to be behind the wheel?
It”s a good feeling to be visible to the public.
10. What would you want to do if you couldn”t be an officer?
I don”t know. I really don”t know. I”ve done this my entire adult life.
