“I don’t think I can change the world, but if I make a difference in one child’s life, then I have helped.”
~ Lucy Ross
Lucille Ross was born in New York in 1953. She was an art major at the all-girl private high school, Prospect Heights. Even though Lucy’s family didn’t initially like her chosen profession, she insisted and attended the academy at the Orlando Police Department in 1973.
Lucy’s first law enforcement job was as a Records Clerk and part-time Police Officer in 1975, then in 1977 as a Communications Supervisor with the Altamonte Springs Police Department. In 1978, she applied for Patrol Officer with the Titusville Police Department.
For five years, Lucy was the only female officer in the department. Lucy was a female pioneer in a male-dominated profession. She faced opposition from her male counterparts until the day she saved a fellow officer’s life. Her actions won her respect in the department and proved her worth in the brotherhood.
Lucy worked in many agencies, including the Altamonte Springs Police Department, the Titusville Police Department, the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, and the Haywood County Sheriff’s Office in North Carolina. She discovered her true calling while working patrol in the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. She responded to a murder scene. Before the detectives arrived, she had sketched the crime scene and collected thorough notes. Her supervisors saw her talent and recommended her as a Crime Scene Processor.
In the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office, Lucy was known as a talented forensic artist, a Skull Reconstructionist and a friend to everyone. Despite her busy work schedule, Lucy always made time for teaching at the academy, training other department members, guiding the Explorers and painting the faces of hundreds of happy children at Camp Chance and schools around the county.
Lucy’s co-workers describe her as the proudest cop, the nicest person they ever met, someone who could always see the bright side of every situation and who was always willing to give her time to help others. As if her time wasn’t enough, Lucy also donated nearly 80 gallons of blood over the years. She will be greatly missed.