Laid off Williams employee looks for a job in law enforcement

Williams is one of the many Tulsa companies that have gone through some big layoffs over the past couple of years. <br/><br/>At the same time, The Tulsa Police Department is desperately searching for new

Thursday, May 6th 2004, 5:18 pm

By: News On 6

Williams is one of the many Tulsa companies that have gone through some big layoffs over the past couple of years.

At the same time, The Tulsa Police Department is desperately searching for new recruits. Would you do it? As News on 6 business reporter Steve Berg tells us, one woman is trading her computer and her cubicle for a badge and a gun.

For more than 6 years, Kendra Miller had a job in community relations at Williams. Now she'll try to go from office to officer, with no previous training. "None at all. No security at all." Miller was out of work for a year-and-a-half and realized she was probably not going to find a job that compared to her old one. "No salary at all out there that compares to Williams, not in my field of work."

Kendra's husband had recently joined the Tulsa Police force, and she figured she'd take a crack at it too. Miller says all of her friends and family has been very supportive of her decision to join the force, she says if anybody thinks she's crazy, they haven't said so." "I'm sure they do, but they haven't told me that, a couple of people have been like why."

At first glance, the jobs couldn't be more different, but she says her old job in community relations with its charities and fundraising and her new goal with police work are more alike than you might think. "Although this is a different twist to it, that's kind of the same thing I envision doing is being out there and helping people.â€

She hasn't met many of her academy classmates to know if there are any others out there like her. But if you've wondered what happens to all those people who get laid off, one of them might be on patrol soon.