By Jeff Holt The Burg
Published in The Knoxville Bulletin November 4, 2022
Bailey Carothers was sworn in as a Knoxville Police Officer last week at the Knoxville City Hall. She officially starts on Monday, Nov. 14. "I'm excited. It's going to be a new journey for me," said Bailey, with family and future co-workers around for the swearing in. "I've always wanted to be a Police Officer since I was a child. This is my first step into my future and I'm ready for a change in Knoxville - a female officer. I have amazing people to learn from."
Some local folks might remember Carothers as a standout soccer player at Galesburg High School. She started playing varsity soccer at GHS as a freshman. But beyond the soccer field, Carothers decided in high school that she wanted to become a police officer. She started out taking a Law Enforcement class at GHS in the Galesburg Area Vocational Center (GAVC) program, which was taught by Robert Nichols who is a retired Galesburg Police Officer and a part-time Officer now in Knoxville. It was a dual credit class that also served as college credit at Carl Sandburg College. "That's when I knew this is for sure what I wanted to do," said Bailey. "Robert is like one of the biggest role models for me. He kind of started it all for me. He was there as a mentor and really showed me what I'll be getting into. I did the ride-alongs with the Galesburg Police Department and I was in the Police Explorers. I feel comfortable so far because he taught me everything I know so far." Added Nichols, about his former student at GHS, "Bailey was an excellent student in high school. She was very excited about Law Enforcement in my class and I could tell she had the drive to be a police officer. I think she'll have an excellent career and she'll continue her education." The 21-year-old Carothers is finishing up her time at Carl Sandburg College and she is planning to get her bachelor's degree on-line at Western Illinois University, studying Criminal Justice and Psychology. Carothers has also gained valuable experience in the Illinois National Guard and her contract will be up in 2024. Bailey is the daughter of Lisa Carothers and James Carothers.