She doesn’t get paid for the work she does for the Manhattan Beach Police Department, which includes at least 20 hours a month on patrol. But at times since she began working as a reserve officer over 22 years ago, Michelle Darringer, 53, has commuted from as far away as Bakersfield.
On Aug. 7, her level of dedication was recognized with a Distinguished Service Award from the California Reserve Peace Officers Association in Sacramento.
“Her commitment to our community and the department is evident,” said the Manhattan Beach Police Department in a press release. “For the last three years, Officer Darringer has been the only active reserve officer within the Corps, and due to a recent retirement of another, she now officially stands as the lone reserve officer for the Manhattan Beach Police Department.”
Even so, Darringer, who now lives in Santa Clarita and works full time in risk management for the Dodgers, said she still doesn’t feel like she deserves the award.
“My first thought was, ‘Why? I didn’t do anything special,’” she said recently. “It’s a great honor. I was kind of taken aback. To me, it’s just part of my job, whether it’s paid or not. Even now, I’m kind of like, ‘Why?’”
Darringer’s first experience with the Manhattan Beach Police Department was as a paid part-time employee, working the graveyard shift at the front desk from 1983-86. She did the job while going to college and living in Manhattan Beach. Then she went through the police academy to become a reserve officer. She worked in the Hawthorne Police Department for a while, but eventually came back to Manhattan Beach, which she said was like “a second family.”
“The citizens are very good,” she said. “They appreciate why you’re there. I always enjoyed the community, the department itself and the city.”
Lieutenant Ryan Small, who nominated Darringer for the award, said his “main reason was her total service to Manhattan Beach.”
“She’s done a tremendous amount of work that would be considered extracurricular, even for a reserve officer,” he said.
Darringer is trained in all the ways regular officers are, including driving all of the department’s types of vehicles and using guns. She also does bike patrol and crisis negotiation. While riding a bike might sound easy, Small points out that there are “plenty of hills in the city,” which can be exhausting.
She went through the FBI’s Crisis Negotiation Officer course which is designed for dealing with terrorists and could be used when someone is suicidal or has taken hostages.
“It takes great skill and communication effort, and quite frankly, a lot of people don’t have those skills,” said Small.
“It’s a great deal to have a reserve officer go through that type of training and put their own sacrifices aside — and do it all for free,” he added.
Darringer works most if not all of the community events, such as the Hometown Fair and 6-Man, for which she recently took off work. She said her employer is generous, if a little puzzled, with letting her take time off when an event conflicts with her work schedule.
“They’re like, ‘Let me get this straight: We’re paying you to take vacation to work?’ and I’m like, ‘Yeah, that’s right.’”
“I’m a Type-A personality so I like to keep busy, I like to work,” she added.
Although she doesn’t have any kids or a husband, she has a nephew, Jeff Darringer, who has followed in her footsteps and now works at the El Segundo Police Department.
Small, who supervises Darringer now but worked as her partner 15 years ago, recalled her bravery and willingness to step up when necessary.
“I remember the fact that there was no difference between Officer Darrigner as a reserve officer and a regular officer,” he said. “If you got into a scuffle with someone, like a bar fight, while trying to take someone into custody, she was right in the regular mix,” he said. “There was no fear in her.”
“She’s been a great help not only to me, but I know a number of officers who appreciate her and welcome her in the car with them,” he said.
For Darringer, there’s no mystery as to why she does what she does.
“Any time you volunteer, it’s a way of giving back,” she said. “If you can help one person, it makes it worth it.” ER
