Sharon Anderson talks policing more than 3 decades

SYCAMORE – Sycamore Police Sgt. Sharon Anderson was walking through the city’s neighborhoods on patrol when she agreed to a phone interview to talk about her work, not the fact that she’s the department’s first woman to hold the rank of sergeant.

Sycamore Police Chief Jim Winters said Anderson, a patrol shift supervisor, is known for leading active shifts that include walking and driving patrols.

Anderson has been on the force since August 1993. She said she didn’t want to discuss the glass ceiling she shattered, but preferred to talk about how she she still likes what she does three decades into serving the residents of Sycamore.

“We have crime waves, you know crime can be down for a while, but then that changes and crime will rise, and so we have to be more active and more onto things, and then it’ll take a lull,” Anderson said.

The total number of traffic stops, traffic citations and arrests for driving while under the influence incidents in Sycamore increased in 2022, according to the department’s 2022 annual report. It’s 2023 report has not yet been published.

During Anderson’s almost 31 years of experience as a Sycamore police officer, Anderson said she’s found crime patterns to be cyclical.

She’s also seen a lot of changes in her day-to-day over her career. When she started her job the World Wide Web was about 1 year old.

“There’s a lot more technology, and a lot more computer-based crimes than we had when I first started,” Anderson said. “I mean, the technology is different compared to what it was back then, too.”

Winters said Anderson is a “great representative” for the community. Her service spans beyond her policing duties, he said.

“[W]hich I think is something very important for law enforcement officers today because the more trust we have with the community, the more we get to know them and they get to know us, the more effective they’re going to be, and the more we’re going to understand each other, and its really going to contribute to a relationship that’s going to help public safety in general.”