Get to know: Sumter Sheriff's Office Capt. Petrina Wiley

There are a plethora of reasons an individual will pursue a career in law enforcement. It could be to continue a family legacy or to fulfill those childhood dreams of being a local superhero.

"I wanted to make a positive change" was the reason Sumter County Sheriff's Office Capt. Petrina Wiley gave ahead of her 27th anniversary with the agency.

In awe of family members embellished with the "finery" and brass on military uniforms, Wiley has spent the last 26 years - March 29 will make 27 - devoted to locally protecting and serving her community filled with people who lovingly know her as "Trina," while donning her pristine black-and-gold uniform. Assigned to the agency's Civil Process Division, she has experienced the civil and criminal side of the law, each of which has its good and bad aspects - but in all, it's been "a privilege" to serve.

Having earned her stripes - in a physical sense given the five reflective stripes on her forearm representing her years of dedication - Wiley has seen many changes within the agency, from its move from East Hampton Street to its current headquarters to being the first African American female promoted to lieutenant at the agency, alongside Lt. Virginia Dailey, who was one of the first women to be promoted. To make such strides can weigh heavily on one's emotions, but Wiley defied the odds because her place serves a bigger purpose: inspiring the next generation of movers and shakers, regardless of race, gender or age.

She credits many for her resilience to stand strong - from her faith to family and friends to coworkers, whom she often cares for as she does her own child. She's faced adversities of all kinds, and without her faith or her personal and professional family, she would not be where she is now - that includes being recently promoted to captain this February.

In light of Women's History Month, Wiley shared her thoughts on her tenure, her trials and triumphs and what it takes to be a woman in law enforcement.

The Sumter Item: Law enforcement is a male-dominated career, so for you as a woman and as an African American woman at that, is it encouraging to see other women in this profession do so well?

Wiley: "[It's] empowering to be able to see them grow in the ranks, and you've been there to watch them grow because it's not too many of us. And when I say us, [I mean] the ones that were hired around the time that I was hired, it's not too many of us left. When I was hired, if I'm not mistaken, it was only two of us back in 1997. You have to demand respect, and you can do it gracefully. Sometimes you have to be a little firm, but to see them come into this profession and to do it so gracefully is so rewarding. It's like being a proud parent, you know, especially when you say, 'I supervised her, I contributed to her;' it really feels good."

The Item: Talk about what it took for you to get to this point and what [your] promotion [to captain] means both professionally and personally.

Wiley: "It took a lot of prayer first and foremost. And of course, as you go throughout your tenure in any profession, your training, the experience that you have … in order to become the commander or to become a leader, you have to go through those steps to get to where you need to be. I can honestly say that just watching my mentors and my supervisors along the years, just imitating what they've done or trying to better what it is that they have been doing - not to say that they've been doing it incorrectly or poorly - it's just that I just want to make sure that I remind myself there's always room for change."

The Item: Given your years of experience in your career, is there anything that you wish your younger self knew before coming into law enforcement?

Wiley: "Being more confident. If I could go back, that's the one thing that I would constantly tell myself. Yes, you can; yes, you can. I forbid my daughter to say 'I can't' as I got older and I became [wiser], especially within the sheriff's office. And I'm not saying this because he's my sheriff, but our sheriff, Sheriff Anthony Dennis, he has no idea how he changed my life with one gesture.

"We have our staff meetings, and we used to sit and speak from our chair. He changed that. He made us get up and go to the podium and stand before everyone else that was seated; you have no idea how terrifying that can be, especially if you're not a public speaker or if you're not comfortable speaking, period. When he did that, it, it just changed; I don't know what happened, but it gave you more confidence in who you were and what you were saying.

"If I could go back, I would tell my younger self, 'Girlfriend, you have no idea the power that you possess when you have confidence like that, you have no idea.' And as I progressed in my rank, I was like, I could do it. Sometimes I still have to tell myself, 'Yes, you can. Yes, you can. And yes, you will.'"