Brenda Cooper, a communications officer for the Spring Hill Police Department, went
from working with prisoners for 27 years to working with students here on campus.
‘Mrs. Brenda,’ as most of the student call her, changed her life around when she decided
to move from her job as a jailer dispatcher with the City of Saraland to work for the Spring Hill
Police Department. She explained that three and a half years ago she “traded prisoners for
students.” Cooper has a deep love for her students which is a large reason she works the night
shift. In addition, Coopers husband of 30 years works night shifts as a deputy and she enjoys
working nights to be able to spend time with him. She also told me “I like working the midnight
shift because my daughter who has Multiple Sclerosis needs help with the children every now
and then.” You could consider Cooper a people-person because has a total of seven
grandchildren and gets just as much joy from spending time with others.
Cooper radiates with joy when talking about ‘her students’ because they are such a big
part of her life. She explains, “They are the joy of my life, they are the joy of my job!” When
students come to talk to Cooper, she will sit down and talk with them about whatever is on their
minds. She especially loves Thursday nights because the students tell her how much they love
her out the windows of their Ubers.
The ‘celebrities’ on campus are a favorite of this communications officer, as she states,
“We have Barbies, we have a Ken doll, and we even have Shaggy from Scooby-Doo.” She loves
to variety of faces and personalities on our campus and wants everyone to feel happy and safe.
Cooper has such a caring and humorous personality. One of her favorite things is when students
bring her food, especially donuts, and she sometimes will jokingly tell the students who forget
their IDs after 10:00 p.m. at the gate that they can buy her dinner or give her 25 dollars in order
to be let on campus.
Overall, Cooper love for her students makes her job so much more enjoyable, and she
loves when students stop by to talk. She tells students that she “is always here anytime anybody
needs to talk.” Stop by the guard house on Old Shell Road for some memorable stories and
anytime you need a smile.
