Detective Brandi Mintle

While she now works on some of the more complicated cases the Fulton Police Department receives, Detective Brandi Mintle started as a meter maid.

Brandi first came to the department almost 13 years ago. Shortly after she started in meter enforcement, current Chief of Police Bill Ladwig encouraged Brandi to attend the police academy.

“After I started, he’s the one that actually talked me into going to the academy,” she said. “I worked here full-time and then did the part-time sheriff’s academy for 10 months. When we had a spot open up, I came full time.”

As a detective, Brandi takes on high-level cases and those cases that require more time than a patrol officer could dedicate.

“It’s not that they’re not capable of doing it, but they don’t have the time to spend on them like we can,” she said. “(For instance), child abuse, sexual assaults, your high-class felony assaults, domestic assault, homicides — that stuff comes back to us. We do a lot of that stuff. I enjoy it.”

Brandi said when she first became an officer, she reluctantly did a one-month rotation in the detective unit because she wanted to be a street officer. However, after spending time in the unit, she found her passion for the investigation side of the force. She said it’s fulfilling to make an arrest on tough cases like sexual assault or fraud and be able to bring justice for the victims.

Outside of working as an officer, Brandi and her husband own a farm in the county where they’re setting up a butcher shop and processing facility. They also have two daughters.

“I love the Chiefs and the Cardinals. Sports are kind of my thing,” she said. “I’m a diehard Chiefs fan; (I) absolutely love the St. Louis Cardinals, St. Louis Blues. If it’s a sport, I pretty well like it (along with) hunting and fishing too. I really love to read. I’m a big bookworm.”