POLICE/University Police Department-Northern Command
For seven years now, Faith Syfret has served as a sworn law enforcement officer at the University of Nevada in Reno. But that was not her original career plan.
“Originally, I didn’t want to be a law enforcement officer,” Syfret says. “I was getting my degree in wildlife ecology. I was friends with a couple of female officers who served with the agency I ended up working for. At the time I was interested in possibly being a game warden, and I asked them what being a female officer was like.”
Soon after chatting with her friends she was meeting with the chief of the University Police Department-Northern Command, and applying for the academy.
Seven years later, Syfret is a detective who has served in many positions with her department, including as a drug recognition expert, critical incident negotiator, and patrol training officer. Syfret has also served with an FBI task force officer and as an undercover detective for the regional human exploitation and trafficking unit.
Syfret says she has a hard time choosing her favorite assignment but one does stand out. “Being a negotiator has been my dream since the academy. Being a patrol training officer has been really rewarding. But by far the most rewarding assignment has been working human trafficking cases. I get to put away child predators and violent traffickers who prey on our youth and our college students.”
The University Police Department-Northern Command has honored Syfret for her work as a detective. In 2020 she was awarded the department’s Meritorious Service Commendation Medal. In 2023 she was named the George Sullivan Employee of the Year. The Sullivan award is named for a fallen University Police Department-Northern Command sergeant. Syfret was honored with the Sullivan award for her work as a detective and her work with victims of human trafficking.
Syfret says she is happy in her career and plans to serve for 30 years. “I would love to promote through the ranks. But for now, I am enjoying my career day by day. I have plenty of time to promote,” she adds.
