Distinguished Community Service

If you were to ask around who fits the description of a “Rancho Cordova Rockstar,” it would not take long before the name “Officer Tracey Jacobs” would surface. Even the Police Chief has described her that way.

Tracey, a graduate of Cordova High School, had quite a year in 2020. This officer has been credited with saving a life, was named Rancho Cordova Police Officer of the Year and helped Team Rancho win the All-America City Award.  

And then, there were all those television reports of her now-famous handshakes. But more on that in a moment.

Tracey spent 15 years on street patrol as a self-proclaimed “street rat.” So when Chief Chris Pittman asked her to fill an open position as a school resource officer, she declined. But the Chief was not to be denied. He pressed again and made it hard for her to say “no.”

That was a great day for all of us.

Since taking on the job, there have been good days and bad days, as in any job.

It was an especially good day on Aug. 29, when, while counseling a distraught teenager, Tracey’s radio alerted her that paramedics were responding to a report of an unresponsive student at Cordova High. She raced to the scene and jumped in to perform CPR as school nurses utilized a defibrillator. 

When paramedics arrived, Tracey was doing such a good job, they asked her to continue, providing them with an opportunity to set up a CPR device and prepare the student for transfer. Paramedics later said the student would not have survived without the quick actions of Jacobs and the nurses.

This illustration of how Jacobs is able to spin from counselor to medic at a moment’s notice explains a lot about Tracey’s commitment to the students she serves. The life-saving act earned her a police commendation and was one reason she was named the Rancho Cordova Police Officer of the Year; a high honor.

But is not the only reason, and so we return to those handshakes. 

To hear Tracey tell it, on her first day as a school resource officer, she decided to stand at the corner of Chase and Coloma because of the location between the high school and middle school and the route to school for many. She gave one student a regular handshake, then another. Then, she started making the handshake a little more complicated. The next thing she knew, she had a specific handshake for each kid.

As word spread about Officer Jacobs’ morning handshake ritual, the lines began to form each morning. Over time, Tracey memorized 85 different handshakes, a remarkable feat, considering the folks at the other end only have to remember one.

Video clips of the handshakes made it to social media, and then to morning television reports. People drove by just to catch a glimpse. She recalled one particular morning when the next kid in line was none other than Mayor Bob McGarvey.

Tracey said that she started the handshakes because a handshake leads to a conversation. The love and care they express became a part of the presentation which won national honors and the title of “All America City” for Rancho Cordova n 2019. Tracey represents the best in all of us.

This is a volunteer awards ceremony, and it is true that Tracey Jacobs gets paid to be a Rancho Cordova Police Officer. But it is the opinion of the many people who nominated her, and no doubt everybody in this room, that Tracey’s performance on the job goes way beyond normal job expectations. 

There is much more to tell if time allowed. Like, how she takes kids to church on Sunday mornings. Or her part in the recent donation of Rancho Cordova church property to the city for establishment of a Youth Center. There’s much more. Let’s just say that if we could clone you, Tracey, we would.

Officer Tracey, we are proud to claim you as our own. Your service to children across our community is unparalleled. To put it bluntly: Rancho Cordova has fallen in love with you, and for good reason.

With deep gratitude for all you do in loving and protecting our children, congratulations to Officer Tracey Jacobs, the living embodiment of “Outstanding Service to Youth.”