Officer Stories

Officer Aleysha Ortiz

I graduated from Texas State University in 2015 with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice. However, after completing my degree, I was unsure of what I wanted to do next. Although I had grown up in a family with a long tradition of military service, I knew that I wanted to be a part of a brother/sisterhood that was outside the camaraderie of military life.

It was a friend of mine who would end up telling me about the Alamo Area Council of Governments (AACOG) Police Academy. I ultimately enrolled at the academy, and while training as a police cadet, worked as a security guard for the San Antonio Spurs organization.  

When I graduated from the academy in November of 2016, I only applied to one agency, the Texas State University Police Department. I was thrilled to be hired and sworn in as a law enforcement officer in January of 2017. As an alumnus of Texas State, I would have never imagined that I would be coming back to campus as a police officer.

As a bilingual officer (English and Spanish), I enjoy being able to help our Spanish-speaking community members and translating calls for service for my fellow officers. Overall, I really enjoy my positive interactions with the students, the rest of the university community and the residents of the City of San Marcos.

Working the third shift, it can get to be challenging at times to interact with students at night. One of my memorable moments occurred when I helped a female student dealing with an anxiety attack. After speaking with the student for an hour about her friends and family, she was finally able to calm down and return to her residence. The next night, I conducted a follow-up welfare check just to make sure she was OK. Surprisingly, after the follow-up, I was once again dispatched to her residence hall with minimal information. When I arrived at her residence hall, I was greeted by the student with a Wendy’s chocolate Frosty and French fries as a “thank you” for helping her cope with her situation.

I love being a positive role model for my daughters and other women who have an honest desire to join this profession. Although I have a diminutive stature and stand at 4 feet 11 inches tall, my success shows that your physical size is not as important as the size of your ambition.

Lieutenant Susan Taylor

My name is Sue Taylor and I’m from a small town in West Texas called Fort Stockton. I knew I wanted to be a law enforcement officer since I was in elementary school. I started my career as a member of the United States Air Force. When I left the military, I began working in county jails until I attended the police academy and became a deputy in Bowie County, TX.

I came to Texas State University as an officer in December of 2001.

Since then, Texas State has become my home. I began working with the LGBTQIA community in 2005 when I became an advisor for the student group, Lambda, at Texas State. After graduation in 2007, I became more active in working with various student and minority groups on campus. I have since focused my career heavily on working with survivors of sexual assault, individuals with mental health issues and minority populations at the university.

My goal as a university police officer is to send people out into the world with an understanding that the police should be here to protect and serve every person in our community.

I am the sergeant on the overnight shift, so if you are out on campus and need assistance, please do not hesitate to give us a call. I look forward to faithfully serving our Texas State community.