Lisa Devine

Photo by Lisa Bul

School resource officer, Quincy

“I always try to start out with people in a positive way. Most people don’t have many times to talk with a police officer, so those few times they do are very important.”

“I honestly believe that when you treat people well and respectfully, things go so much better. Sometimes, people just
want to be heard.”

“I can always see a glimmer of hope with kids. Sometimes, when you’re dealing with an adult, what you see is what you get, but with a kid, you can drag out that glimmer of hope in them.”

“I’ve gotten a lot of thank-you letters from parents, especially when they see someone’s taken the time to see the best in (their kids), like they see them. You have to remember, they’re somebody’s baby.” THE SKINNY
RANK: Patrol officer
AGE: 39
APPOINTED: In 1999; she has been a school resource officer for four years
HIRED IN QUINCY: 1999
BIO: Devine grew up in Quincy and went to the South Boston Heights Academy. She is working toward a master’s degree in criminal justice at Curry College. Her brother Stephen Linskey is a sergeant in the Norfolk County sheriff’s department. Her brother Sean Linskey works for a telephone company. She met her husband, Stoughton police Lt. Robert Devine, when he was her squad leader at the police academy. She has two children, Stephen Linskey, 23, and Makenna Devine, 6 months.

What did you want to be when you were a kid? A lawyer
What would you have been if not a police officer? A teacher
Best advice you ever got: “Always swing at the ball; you just might hit it” and “If you lie, you’ll always get caught.”
Person who gave it to you: My mother
What do you do in your time off: My husband and I travel. We just bought a condo in Disney World, mostly for the baby.