Stella McNamara during her time as a police officer. Courtesy of Stella McNamara
Stella McNamara today. Courtesy of Stella McNamara
Having a sparring match with a black belt, being shot at while driving down the street, and earning a Marksman Medal at the shooting range all sounds like the makings of a good Chuck Norris film, but for Stella McNamara, a 61-year-old liberal arts major, it was just another day on the job.
“I have always been a facilitator,” said McNamara of her 25-year career as a detective for the Los Angeles Police Department. McNamara joined the academy in 1983, driven by the desire to bridge the gap between the public and police.
“I saw a lot of police brutality,” McNamara said. “My brother was a victim.” While walking down the street one afternoon, McNamara and her brother were stopped by two officers. One of the officers stepped forward and struck McNamara’s brother as a warning for a run in he had with the officers a few days before. From that point on, McNamara became a seeker of justice. She recalled being somewhat of a pioneer in her career field because she was part of the first generation of female police officers patrolling for the LAPD.
“There were other women before me, but it was mostly men,” McNamara said. She remembered her first day at the academy when she introduced herself to her commander under her maiden name of Jimenez. “I walked in and identified my badge and said ‘I’m here to introduce myself because I’ve been applying myself to you’, and he said, ‘Jimenez? You’re Jimenez?’ He was stunned and started, yelling for my potential partner to come over and says ‘Hey Frankie, your boot is a girl! Come look at her.”
McNamara has had some exciting moments as a detective like having her patrol car shot at, getting her knee dislocated during a sparring match with a fellow officer, and being lifted off her feet by a handcuffed criminal who was high on PCP. Now retired, McNamara attends classes at Mt. SAC for personal enrichment. “She’s just guileless,” said Barbara Gonzales, 63, professor of reading and one of McNamara’s instructors. “She recognizes that she has something to share and can pull that out of others. She makes me glad I’m a teacher.” McNamara said she always wanted to get an education but became a single mother at a young age and had other priorities.
McNamara is in her second semester at Mt. SAC and said her age is something to embrace. “My mental attitude is different, I’m more focused, and I don’t have any outside responsibilities being retired so it’s a bonus,” McNamara said.
McNamara’s classmate Christina Carrillo, 26, psychology major, said McNamara is a positive person.
“She just gives you good vibes. I like her attitude and she is always happy and positive and always willing to help her peers” Carrillo said. “She is very loving and motherly, you can come to her any time.”
McNamara’s ultimate goal is to attain an associate degree in liberal arts and enjoy the rest of her retirement traveling with her husband. For now, she spends her free time volunteering at Shirpser Elementary School where her daughter teaches first grade. “Without school, I’d probably be bored to tears,” McNamara said.
- Daniel Hiemstra
Staff Writer
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