SIDEWALK SERIES: Walking to the beat: Moscow police officer comes from Georgia to UI

The University of Idaho's newest campus police officer, Lindsay McIntosh, has a confession to make - she's a Boise State University grad.

Her Vandal-fan family and co-workers in the Moscow Police Department like to torment her for her rival-school affiliation, but she laughs it off.

"I'm kind of the black sheep for going to Boise State ... but I don't support Boise State football, so I'm good," she said.

McIntosh's degree and roots are from Idaho, but she's a native of Georgia. Until six months ago, she worked for the University of Georgia Police Department as an investigator and hostage negotiator. She also took some street assignments and dealt with the local homeless population.

The school is in the heart of Athens, Ga. - a city of more than 100,000.

"The University of Georgia was located in a high-crime area and it was a lot bigger, so it just encompassed a wide variety," she said.

The UI has been a dramatically different experience.

"Here, when you're on campus, you're on campus," McIntosh said.

She enjoys the university and Moscow's laid-back, community-centered attitude.

"If someone locks their dog in the car, it will get called in (here)," she said. "Where I came from, nobody would call. Everybody's just looking out for each other."

Since switching to the campus office at the beginning of this semester, McIntosh has kept busy getting to know students, giving presentations at living groups and walking around campus, making sure students are familiar with local laws.

McIntosh, 26, has enjoyed being posted in the campus police substation's new location in the Idaho Commons.

"People can stop by and ask questions," she said. "It's nice just to be accessible. Plus people bring problems to our attention that they're kind of hesitant" to otherwise.

McIntosh said the camaraderie in the MPD has made the switch from Georgia to Moscow an even easier adjustment.

"I have like 100 brothers, is what it feels like," she said. "You inherit a whole new family."

Police work has interested McIntosh since she was young. She remembers admiring an officer who went to her church.

"He always had stories about working different cases, and I guess I just thought it was really, really interesting," she said. "It's a really fast-paced job. You're never stuck in a rut."

Being a police officer becomes part of a person's identity, she said. It's made her more assertive and always aware of her environment.

"You have to transition in some circumstances from walking by to walking into it," she said.

When she does find a little time away from work, McIntosh enjoys hiking with her Lab, Meg, and watching football - though she doesn't get to catch as many Georgia Bulldog games as she'd like.

If you happen to see her after a game, don't mention how it turned out.

"I work on Saturdays now, so it's kind of hard," she said. "I have to Tivo the games now, so I don't want to know the score."

Tara Roberts can be reached at (208) 882-5561, ext. 252, or by e-mail at troberts@dnews.com.