Deputy Svetlana Dodd was a young mother when she and her infant son escaped the civil war in Croatia in the mid-1990s. She came to the United States with the clothes on her back and just a few hundred dollars. Her story is told in the third episode of #teamHCSO's "Before the Badge" series.
When she arrived in Tampa, Deputy Dodd didn't speak any English and only learned it through reading books and watching popular tv shows at that time. She worked as a dishwasher, and after learning the language, she spent 15 years working as a nurse at Moffitt Cancer Center. While working to support her family, she also went back to school in order to become a deputy in 2015.
Today, Deputy Dodd has a successful career as a detention deputy and challenges the inmates she supervises to make changes now in order to improve their lives after incarceration.
"Hard work will get you anywhere. I feel like it doesn't matter if you don't speak English, it doesn't matter if you're an immigrant, it doesn't matter if you have an accent," said Deputy Dodd. "All of that doesn't matter. If you want something, you've got to go and get it."
"Civil war and a career change did not stop Deputy Dodd from following her dreams," said Sheriff Chad Chronister. "She is one example of the many people who make the transition to serve and protect their fellow community members. I hope Deputy Dodd's story will inspire someone else to make that change to join our brave men and women of the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, too."
"Before the Badge" showcases the trials and tribulations #teamHCSO staff has faced getting to where they are today. It will highlight the many different countries they are from, as well.
The third episode of the series featuring Deputy Dodd is available for viewing here. Anyone who is interested in applying for a career at the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office should visit www.joinhcso.com for more information.