Victoria Bailey grew up wanting to be just like her dad. Her father was a police officer in a small Nevada town, and as a kid, young Victoria loved to tag along when he checked into the office for trainings or to write up his reports.
Later, when her high school started a police explorer work/study program, Victoria was quick to sign up. She gained school credit for managing different administrative tasks, and was even able to do “ride alongs” with uniformed patrol officers.
After high school, she enlisted with the U.S. Marines for four years. Stationed in Southern California, Victoria served as a brig guard at the Camp Pendleton Base Brig and the Naval Consolidated Brig, MCAS Miramar. Through the GI Bill, she was able to complete three years of college toward a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice, which she later completed while employed at Tarrant Regional Water District.
Moving to Texas, finding TRWD
When Victoria moved to Texas in 2006, her path didn’t lead straight to TRWD – she first worked at the City of Azle’s 911 dispatch center for police, fire and EMS. The Azle police department sent her to the police academy, where she graduated in 2009 and then worked on patrol for a few years. She then moved to the criminal investigation division and also managed Azle PD’s community outreach program. Back then, Azle managed the dispatch services for TRWD, so Victoria came to know a lot of the water district’s staff.
She was approached about working for TRWD and began as a patrol officer with the district in June 2015.
Emergency management planning
Within just a few years, TRWD recognized a need for coordinated emergency management services, to prepare for and address any catastrophic or devastating-level emergencies that might arise for any reason.
“This would involve any unexpected emergency that could deplete local resources, impact many people and require a long recovery,” Victoria said.
It seemed that Victoria was being led down a new path – by the time TRWD had developed its emergency management department in 2019, she was already well on her way to completing a master’s degree in emergency and disaster management through American Military University Online. She was offered a new position as Emergency Management & Security Operations Coordinator.
Within the emergency management department is also TRWD’s 24/7 dispatch team. Victoria’s department currently includes six telecommunicators staffing the communications center, and an assistant emergency communicator.
Victoria remains a predominate member of the Law Enforcement Department as well, recently being promoted to the rank of Lieutenant. The interdependencies of the two departments require a continuity of leadership and cooperation for mission success. Victoria also serves on the Security Planning Team and Safety Sterring Team helping guide TRWD into the future.
Victoria serves as a liaison between TRWD and local, regional and state agencies, as well as contractors and first responders in TRWD service areas, establishing relationships so that if a major emergency were to occur, the contacts would already be in place. The department operates much like a 911 dispatch office, while also receiving and disseminating water district-related community concerns.
TRWD Emergency Management and Security Operations is also involved in major community events, like the City of Fort Worth’s July 4th celebration, where attendance can range as high as 75,000-95,000 people. TRWD coordinates with local fire, police, contract security, MedStar mobile health, outside police departments, and other organizations trained in emergency response.
The value of working for the district
Victoria likes that no two days are ever the same in her position with TRWD. She says that she also enjoys seeing “how people excel within themselves because of the opportunities TRWD provides.”
“When I joined the district as a patrol officer, we were set up to be very autonomous with a high level of trust. The district functions in the real world – everyone works together, and TRWD is very forward thinking. TRWD is also committed to investing in its people.”
Victoria also notes how easy it is to see that people like their jobs. “People are friendly, and everyone knows each other,” she said.
Off-time on the road
Off the job, Victoria, her husband and two young daughters enjoy hunting, camping and keeping honey bees. Even the girls have beekeeper suits.
They also like to take RV road trips, and often consider the drive itself to be the most fun part. Since September 2020, the family has visited 32 states, and they’ve been to 178 of the 254 Texas county courthouses, taking a group picture at each one.
“We’re a very relaxed family,” Victoria says.
The right fit, the right job
With an easy demeanor and a strong background that has prepared her well for her TRWD career, Victoria seems to be the perfect fit for the role she plays in emergency management and security operations.
