It has always been Scott Pfeifer’s dream to make a difference in someone else’s life. That was his goal when he made the choice to be involved with the law.

 

                         “I wanted to be able to make a difference in someone’s life that is not as fortunate as others,” said Pfeifer. “I wanted to get people to be leaders and not followers.

 

                           Pfeifer is the Sergeant of Westmoreland County’s Sheriff’s Office. This is the Civil Division and he has had this title for two years. Before this promotion, he was Sergeant of the Juvenile Division

 

                          When being involved with the law, it’s obvious that you’re going to come into some frightening situations.

 

                          Pfeifer had this experience a little over 20 years ago in a chilling part of western Pennsylvania.

 

                         He was placed in an alleyway in New Kensington during the early 1990’s. There was a riot going on at the time and he was handed a shotgun and told to “basically protect everything in these number of blocks.”

 

                         Though Pfeifer is put in dangerous situations like this and most of the time ends up saving people, he does not consider himself a hero.

 

                         “I do not [consider myself a hero]. It’s the career that I chose and I took an oath to do what is right and be held accountable for my actions,” explained Pfeifer. “Others may consider me a hero, but I’m not. It’s part of my job. I treat others how I would want to be treated if I wasn’t in the job that I’m currently in.”

 

                         Also on the job, there are upsetting things that have to happen. The hardest part of Pfeifer’s job is when they have to go and evict someone out of their home, because they haven’t done what is right to be able to keep their home, and even harder if they have children because they “don’t deserve to be forced to leave their home because the adults didn’t do what was right of them.”

 

                          On the flip-side, there are very rewarding parts to Pfeifer’s daily job and duties. His favorite part, however, is not a huge thank you or a gift for helping the people he does, but instead just seeing the metamorphosis the person has.

 

                          “[The most rewarding part is] when someone that I feel I may have made an impact on comes back to me personally and thanks me for helping them with their situation, and they let me know that they turned things around and that all is going well for them. [That is when] I’ve accomplished what I started,” said Pfeifer.

 

                            It’s important that when you are going to work day-by-day you keep inspired and motivated. It’s a burden if you don’t have that extra push in the morning to down your cup of coffee and get in the car to hit all of the red lights on the way to the office. Without motivation, it’s often the choice to drag on the day or call in sick. Pfeifer keeps himself full of motivation.

 

                              “This is a job where everyday you are going to face something different. Nothing is the same in Law Enforcement,” explained Pfeifer. “If you think it’s going to be the same everyday, then this job is not cut out for [you]. It takes a people person and I feel that I have that personality about myself.”

 

                              Pfeifer knows the difficulties, the scares, and the opportunities he gets to experience on the ride he calls work, and he knows that it is about giving 100% of yourself to help another person. If there was someone pursuing the career, Pfeifer would tell them just that.

 

                              “This is a job that is not about you. People from all walks of life coming to you for help and advice and you have got to be able to put yourself in their shoes and say what you would do for yourself,” said Pfeifer. “You ask yourself, ‘What do I want to have happen to me so that I can get picked up off the ground and instead of always looking back, to look forward.’ You have to just be a person that can handle a lot of different situations and handle them well.”

 

                               When people are asked whether they would go back in time and change what they had decided, often they have something they want to change about their career choice. Pfeifer does not have this thought. He enjoys the path he chose.

 

                                “People are always saying that they’d like to go back and start all over again, but for me, I chose this I wanted to be able to try and make a difference in someone’s life,” said Pfeifer. “Yes, I’ve said, ‘Man, why did I go into Law Enforcement?’ But, it’s who I am- helping other people. Do so and see where life takes you.”