Can a television program influence someone’s career later in life? For Marena Geiser, a Mansfield University police officer, a steady diet of “Law and Order” just might have led her into her career in law enforcement.
Growing up on a dairy farm in Wellsboro, no one in Geiser’s family worked in law enforcement or was in the military.
“My inspiration in life has always been my mom,” says Geiser. “There are not enough words to express what she has done for me. She worked incredibly hard to give me the best life she could. She taught me to be the kind, caring person that I am. Really all the women in my life are kind women who always believed they could do anything a man could do and made sure I knew it as well.”
Geiser, who has been on the Mansfield University police force for a year and a half, became an officer in 2020 after graduating from the Mansfield Police Academy. The job is not without its challenges.
“I am a smaller female, so I get underestimated,” Geiser says. “All other obstacles come and go and I just learn to work with what I have. This is my job, and I will always do what I believe is right.”
Even though the Mansfield campus community is small, there are still stresses to deal with each day.
“I have an amazing group of people I work with who help me when needed,” says Geiser. “Along with a husband, Chad Boyce, who is also an officer, he helps me talk out any difficulties I went through on a shift. It is important for me to do my best with the knowledge I have and to continue learning from my mistakes.”
What has been the most rewarding aspect of working as a police officer?
“Interacting with the community is so great,” Geiser says. “I love when little girls see me working as an officer. There is not a lot of us, especially in this area so it makes me incredibly happy and fulfilled when I see the look of joy on their faces of seeing a women officer. I always wonder if I would have believed in myself sooner to do this job had I seen a female officer growing up. I just hope I am showing them that it is a possible career for them as well.”
Geiser hopes more women choose law enforcement as a career choice.
“Every department I have worked for has not treated me any different for being a woman. Having a female officer is a positive for a department and most officers are aware of that.”
Through it all, Geiser finds it great that she has impressed members of her family with her career choice.
“My family is incredibly proud of me. My uncles all think it is the coolest thing I have done yet. My mother loves that I do what I do but I know it causes her a lot of worry.”