Tarkington named UNC System’s officer of the year
Frannie Tarkington’s very first call as an East Carolina University police officer a decade ago has fueled her passion for helping people navigate the physical, mental and emotional trauma of sexual assault.
In recognition of her exceptional work, Tarkington has been named the UNC System Law Enforcement Officer of the Year. The award was presented Oct. 24 in a ceremony in Raleigh.
“During her 14 years of service to ECU, master police officer Tarkington has dedicated herself to providing the highest possible level of service to the campus community,” Chief Jason Sugg said in his nomination. “She has proactively sought out multiple sexual assault training courses and is recognized in ECUPD as a resource on this sensitive topic. MPO Tarkington has intentionally situated herself as a leader for her department by leading prevention efforts and mentoring students.”
Tarkington said that first call made her feel like a fish out of water.
“I had never interviewed a victim survivor before. It was an uncomfortable situation because I didn’t know what to ask,” she said. “After that, I signed up for my first sexual assault investigation class because at that point I had never taken one and had never thought about taking one.”
Tarkington became one of the department’s first responders for sexual assault investigations.
“It’s not only physically traumatic for people, it’s emotionally traumatic and it’s mentally traumatic. We have an investigation to do, but we also need to pay attention and be aware of what those three things do to a person,” she said.
In taking reports, Tarkington saw the need and developed a sexual assault response kit for ECU police officers that includes a checklist, pre-printed forms for officers to collect victim and suspect information, a victim’s rights pamphlet, and additional resources offered by the university, local and state agencies.
Frannie Tarkington is surrounded by family, friends and fellow ECU officers as UNC System President Peter Hans presents the UNC System Officer of the Year award. (Contributed photo)
Tarkington said she and other officers strive to be a strong line of communication for ECU students, many of whom are on their own for the first time and adapting to a new environment, stressors and experiences.
“At this point in most people’s lives, they don’t really know what to do when situations happen, and they don’t know what resources are available or even what direction they need to go,” she said. “I feel like that’s probably my ‘why’ over anything else. I was at that point in my life as well. I like being able to help people figure out where they may need to go.”
In April, Tarkington and another officer participated in a student-led Denim Day panel discussion on sexual assault resources for students, faculty and staff. Denim Day is a campaign in honor of Sexual Assault Awareness Month.
“It was a really great space to ask questions (and learn about) different resources in the community and at the university, so that was cool to be a part of,” she said.
In addition to her regular patrol duties and as a fill-in dispatcher, Tarkington has been a member of ECU’s RAD (Rape Aggression Defense) training team, who instruct self-defense courses on and off campus. She also served as the RAD coordinator for two years.
Master police officer Frannie Tarkington stands by her patrol car at the Main Campus Student Center.
The training helps give people the tools and confidence to handle unwanted or dangerous situations.
“Every time we end a RAD class I always tell them that coming in it’s a little awkward at first because we’re doing maneuvers that you wouldn’t necessarily do if you were going to the gym. You don’t have to leave doing these maneuvers perfectly, but I want people to leave with the confidence that they’re able to do it if the time comes,” she said. “We talk about fight or flight, and it’s one of those things where if you don’t know what to do, your brain can’t decide which direction you want to go. If we give you a couple of tools, we’re at least able to help you formulate a plan so you’re not so in shock that you can’t figure out what you need to do. It’s almost like muscle memory.”
Tarkington earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from ECU in 2008 after transferring from Elizabeth City State University. “It was a subject that was interesting, and I didn’t know what I was going to do with it. After I got out of college, I worked for a couple of years, and I realized the job I was in had a glass ceiling — there was nowhere for me to go.”
She decided to put her degree to work and applied to the police academy. “It was one of the most difficult things I could do, just because I was working full time and going to class at night,” she said. “After that, the one and only place I applied to was ECU. I wanted a department that wasn’t too large, where you just became a number and faded into the background. I wanted somewhere where I felt comfortable, that the department saw who you were and saw the value in the type of person you were and the type of work that you did. I got lucky because this was the only place I applied to.”
In addition to law enforcement, Tarkington works as a pharmacy technician at ECU Health Medical, where she has been for 17 years.