Liz Greiner
Homicide Investigator
The world of homicide on TV is so different than the one I work in. We don’t solve crimes in an hour. DNA isn’t available in two minutes. We don’t go rogue and disappear from our captain for weeks at a time.
But, I do get to travel. Interrogations can be exciting as you keep your thought process steps ahead of the suspect. It is truly a combined effort to solve and bring to justice those that commit the most horrific of all crimes. As a homicide detective you work closely with the District Attorney’s Office, Medical Examiner’s Office, the Texas Rangers and many police and federal agencies. There is nothing like the satisfaction of solving a homicide and being able to offer some closure to a victim’s family. This job taught me the true meaning of compassion and team work.
I came on at the SAPD when I was 21. I had no prior military background and no clue what a boot camp type program or police academy would be like. The advice I was given when I first began the academy became invaluable. I was warned that the academy would test me to my limits — physically, emotionally and academically. It was the instructor’s job to prepare us to be the best police officers we could be and to weed out those who are not right for the job. Knowing this, I was even more determined to do my best, and I realized that when things got tough, it was all to make me a good police officer. As a result, the police academy was one of the most exciting and personally rewarding experiences of my life.
Liz Greiner, Detective
I have truly enjoyed my career, the life-long friends I have made and the satisfaction of being able to help others. That is really what this career is about, and I’ve done it all while maintaining a great work-life balance. I have been happily married for 20 years, raised two children and had a great career with the SAPD.
