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Long Cane and LaGrange College are happy that Riley Densmore does not stick to her day job. The LaGrange Police Department Officer of the Quarter spends her spare time volunteering as a coach for the Cougars and Panthers. 

“Long Cane was starting up a team last year and Sgt. (Marshall) McCoy asked to help get the ball rolling on their program,” Densmore said. “Last year was my last season with them and I think I will stay with them for a long time.”

Desnmore’s connections with LaGrange College run a little deeper. When she was an aspiring softball player in Ball Ground, Georgia, she had multiple college offers to choose from. She chose LaGrange College. Densmore suited up with the Panthers from 2017-2020 and has stuck around the program after she hung up her cleats. 

The difference between the levels of play and the coaching styles that go along with it are immense. 

“It was definitely a learning curve to go from me playing and coaching college softball, back down to sixth to eighth graders that are learning the sports,” Densmore said. “I really like it. It’s a good age to develop their fundamentals and find their love of the game and see the game through their eyes.”

She wants to spread the love of softball to girls at a younger level. Long Cane provided the perfect opportunity to do that. 

“We have a really young coaching staff at Long Cane, and we all played college ball,” Densmore said. “We all have the same mindset that we just got out of playing and now, we are coaching girls that haven’t played that many years. It’s been fun, but it has been a big learning curve though.”

Densmore came to the area over five years ago, and has decided to stick around. She started interning with the police department back in 2017 with eyes on making law enforcement her career. She enjoyed her time as an intern so much that she officially joined the force in 2020 and made LaGrange her official home. 

Her time as a member of the LaGrange Police Department has seen its fair share of highs and lows. Late last year she was injured on the job when her fingers were broken by a perpetrator. Now, she is the Office of the Quarter. 

“She was recommended for Officer of the Quarter due to her reputation as someone who can be counted on to pursue all available leads and is relied on to make appropriate decisions through her solid understanding of appropriate statutes, current case law, and the policies and procedures of this organization,” a statement on the LPD Facebook page reads. 

Being in law enforcement runs in the family, and it continues into another generation with Densmore. 

“I always knew I would be in law enforcement,” Densmore said. “I have a big family history in it. I got started with the internship and really liked getting involved with them.”

Despite pursuing a career in law enforcement, softball has never left her heart. She knew she wanted to stay involved with the game and has done so. It is not always easy to balance her day job with her time as a coach. 

“We work 12 hour shifts and every week it shifts,” Densmore said. “Coach (Mel) Rushing at LaGrange College had to put my schedule on her schedule because it always confused her. It definitely stinks when I’ve had to miss a game. I have been able to make more games and more practices this year.”

For a few more weeks, you can find Densmore at Long Cane softball games and after that she will be at LaGrange College helping get the Panthers ready for the 2022-23 season. Year around you will find her patrolling LaGrange’s streets and keeping them safe.