Public Safety Officer Spotlight: Linda Ortego

Wednesday, July 31, 2024

By Deanna Rea

Linda Ortego, a Campus Safety Officer at Bakersfield College, is deeply committed to ensuring the safety of all students and community members on campus. Although her career journey initially began with general accounting, Linda realized that her aspirations were not aligned with her current path and made the bold decision to transition to a career in Public Safety. Her venture into security began after she earned an associate degree in criminal justice, a milestone in her journey toward fulfilling her new career.

In 1993, Linda embarked on a six-week academy for basic training, marking the beginning of her long and dedicated tenure at the sheriff’s department. Four months later, she began working full-time in the department and served for almost twenty-four years. “I spent [the] whole [first] half of my life there,” she says, “and now I’m going to spend the second half of my life here [at Bakersfield College].”

Linda recalls taking part in several challenging drills and exercises during her basic training. “Once we got into the sheriff’s department, we got thrown on the mat [and] we learned moves for defensive tactics. It was pretty intense because we were dealing with inmates,” Linda recalls. “You need to know how to do your job effectively—without you or [others] getting hurt.” Other trainings that she participated in were handcuff training, defensive tactics, pepper spray usage, and how to utilize Narcan.

At the suggestion of a close friend, she began her journey to become a Campus Safety Officer at BC in May of 2018. Her current responsibilities include ensuring the safety of the campus and all its members, conducting regular checks around campus, leading evacuation and active shooter training, and training new recruits.

Linda’s favorite part about working for Bakersfield College is the genuine interaction with the staff and students. She deeply values the positive atmosphere of the BC community, expressing, “Everyone here is so nice and genuine - most people are really happy to be here, and they want to be here.”

One of Linda’s future goals is reaching retirement, “So, I can travel the world,” she says, “and I can do all the other things I want to do.”