Samantha Sepulveda had a successful career as a cop, but a friend suggested – and she accepted – an unexpected second job.

Samantha Sepulveda went into her career as a cop with only the best of intentions. Simply put, she wanted to help people and felt that becoming a law enforcement officer would allow her to do so. But as Sepulveda’s career progressed, her colleagues realized that she had a secret second occupation. And what’s more, this other job required the rising star to lead a shocking double life.

Interestingly, though, Sepulveda’s life didn’t necessarily push her in this unusual direction. After all, she attended the University of Massachusetts and even graduated with a distinction in her management degree. Sepulveda went on to study for her MBA in finance, too – but a career in that field never came to fruition.

Instead, Sepulveda chose to become a cop – at least, as far as everyone knew. Yet a friend encouraged the native of Freeport, New York, to chase a second, more unexpected career at the same time. And when the world found out what the officer was doing behind the scenes, people had a lot to say about her secret endeavor.

So who is Samantha Sepulveda? Well, she came into the world in 1984 in Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic. But the young girl wouldn’t stay there for long; her mother decided to uproot her and her sister for life in a new country. Yes, the trio moved to the United States when Sepulveda was just five years old.

Of course, Sepulveda’s mother had good reason for relocating the family: a job in an American factory. She also thought the U.S. would provide her daughters with better educations and future prospects. So five-year-old Sepulveda arrived in her new home of New York City and subsequently started the first grade.

Right away, Sepulveda showed promise as an athlete – and her interest in sports eventually blossomed into bona fide talent. So when it came time for college, the teen earned a scholarship to play lacrosse at the University of Massachusetts. And alongside her athletic pursuits, the co-ed studied management.

As we’ve heard, Sepulveda then graduated with distinction from UMass with a bachelor’s degree – but wasn’t finished learning. She actually enrolled at Hofstra University next, where she studied for a master’s in business administration in finance. And with two degrees in such professional fields, it probably seemed that Sepulveda was destined for a traditional 9-to-5 occupation.

But when it came time to forge a career, Sepulveda decided to shift her focus. And as she explained to the New York Post in 2017, Sepulveda realized that she wanted to give something back with her work. She said, “It sounds corny, but which career could I help people more in – money-driven Wall Street or civil service, where you’re protecting people?”

Yet pursuing a career in law enforcement initially seemed like an odd choice for Sepulveda – and not just because she had long studied business and finance. After all, the former lacrosse star didn’t have the traditionally daunting frame of a cop who one might envision. Indeed, she measured in at a mere 5 foot 2 inches tall.

Image: Mihajlo Maricic/EyeEm/Getty Images

But her height – or lack thereof – seemingly didn’t bother Sepulveda; she enlisted in police academy like any other hopeful officer. And once she completed all of the training required, the recruit got a job on the force. Her post would have her patrolling the streets of Freeport, Long Island, in New York State.

Sepulveda’s career as a cop began in 2010, and her passion for the work hasn’t wavered. Seven years later, in fact, she described to the New York Post what she loved about her job. The officer explained, “When people call the cops, it’s because they don’t have anyone else to turn to. [Being an officer has] given me an opportunity to give back to people who really need help.”

Sepulveda also found that, as a woman on the force, she had an easier time softening the criminals with whom she dealt on a daily basis. She explained, “With a female officer, their guard is lowered. There’s less aggression, and the situation is defused.” That doesn’t mean that Sepulveda played up her femininity while on the job, though.

Instead, Sepulveda’s daily work attire included the traditional police uniform as well as a simple bun hairdo and a face free of make-up. Such an appearance supposedly made her “look as masculine as possible,” just as she wanted. Still, sometimes, the people whom she chased would notice something different about her.

Yes, while on the police force, Sepulveda often faced jokes from the people she spoke to and arrested. People would say things to her like, “You can arrest me any time!” And once, the cop recalled how a suspect stopped dead in his tracks when he realized what the woman in pursuit of him actually looked like.

As Sepulveda recalled to the New York Post, she and her partner were chasing down a man who had assaulted his wife and then threatened them both as they tailed him. But when the suspect saw Sepulveda, he reportedly stopped and said, “You’re the best-looking cop I’ve ever seen! Can I take you on a date?”

Most of the time, then, Sepulveda’s looks aided her in her quest to protect the streets. Sepulveda even admitted that she relied on her appearance – rather than whipping out weapons – to subdue persons of interest. She said, “I talk men into handcuffs all the time because they don’t want to fight me.”

Of course, Sepulveda’s colleagues treated her with plenty of respect – but her beauty didn’t go unnoticed. And because of that, she actually decided to take on a second, secret career. Doing so isn’t abnormal for cops, though, according to the Fremont officer. Sepulveda has even said plenty of her coworkers had gigs outside of the force.

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Yet Sepulveda’s male colleagues tended to work in more traditional fields. Most seemingly moonlighted as plumbers or electricians or took on trade work that seemed in tune with what the world might expect from a person in such a hands-on career. As for Sepulveda, though, she claimed, “I’ve been under the microscope since I started.”

So once Sepulveda’s coworkers found out about her second job, some heads did turn. That’s because her side hustle had little to do with her training in finance and business – although she would incorporate some aspects of her education into the fold later on. No, her second career had to do with her looks more than anything else.

A friend had in fact suggested that Sepulveda should pursue her second career path about three years after she’d joined the police force. The cop’s pal happened to work for a lingerie and swimwear company, you see, and she seemingly realized that the officer would make the perfect model for their runway fashion show. And since then, Sepulveda’s modeling career has taken her around the world, including, as of 2017, to Australia, Spain, Nicaragua and England. The police officer also made her runway debut at the 2017 New York Fashion Week, an event she described as “exhilarating.”

On the catwalk during New York Fashion Week, Sepulveda in fact slipped into a bridal gown to close Azulant Akora’s show. The designer explained why the cop moonlighting as a model was the right fit for her show. Akora told the New York Post, “I’m inspired by her confidence. I feel Sam represents millennials, and I wanted to create a wedding gown for millennials.”

The show-closing gown had lines of hand-sewn beads, placed just so to represent the ebb and flow of water. Slipping into the frock and strutting it down the runway suited Sepulveda, too. She actually said the sensation mirrored that of a “hot call” coming into the station.

Sepulveda also claimed that modeling provided “a different kind of adrenaline pump” to her day job. Still, while she clearly thrived taking part in her new craft, others apparently disliked the cop’s public image. Namely, some people found Sepulveda’s provocative photos – displayed proudly on her Instagram page – to be slightly offensive. But the police officer had advice for those who held that opinion.

According to Sepulveda, her modeling shots “celebrate a woman’s body.” She also told the New York Post, “I don’t think they’re offensive.” And for those who did, the cop suggested, “If people find them offensive, close your eyes.” Considering how many followers she’s racked up on Instagram, though, more people are looking than are wincing.

In fact, after the newspaper broke the story of Sepulveda’s double life, her follower count on Instagram grew by more than 90,000 – giving her more than 200,000 fans on the site. Nowadays, though, she’s doubled that figure and has 423,000 people watching when she shares her modeling shots as well as her everyday pics.

On her Instagram page, though, Sepulveda makes a point to share more modeling pictures and fewer snaps of herself in uniform. Yet she made an exception for International Women’s Day in 2018, when she wrote, “Shout out to all the strong, confident, well-rounded, focused, beautiful, kind, independent women who have a career and can still feel sexy and beautiful all at the same time.”

Sepulveda’s fans responded to the post to show their support for the cop-turned-model too. One commenter wrote, “Thank you for your service in law enforcement. You look beautiful, Samantha.” Others expressed their praise more simply. For instance, another person said Sepulveda was “the hottest cop on Earth.”

This kind of supportive reaction has fortunately proved to be the norm for Sepulveda. In Fremont, where she works for the police force, the locals have accepted her double life as well. She told the New York Post, “They’re a lot nicer because they feel they know me. I’m not just a jerk cop.”

In another interview with the same paper, Sepulveda said people had also begun to recognize her while she was patrolling the streets. She recalled, “I was at a hospital and a patient said, ‘Hey! You! You’re that hot model police officer!’” At first, the cop didn’t know how to react in response.

In the end, Sepulveda said, “I blushed and just walked the other way… I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to [the fame].” Still, the successful model did note that she had appreciated the way that people had reacted to her second line of work. “The support has been incredible,” she said.

Image: Mihajlo Maricic/EyeEm/Getty Images

And while the Fremont locals loved shouting out to their gorgeous cop, Sepulveda’s co-workers barely batted an eyelid at her fame. Once they had found out about her modeling, she said, “It was business as usual when I came into the office. Everyone treated me the same way. I respect them for that.”

After all, Sepulveda herself hadn’t changed. And although her modeling jobs have her donning risqué lingerie – and she’s brought home a ton of strappy pieces – she rarely wears the sassy garb. Instead, she admitted, “I like to just sleep in an oversize T-shirt and be comfortable. Lingerie is for men!”

Playing up both sides of her personality has allowed Sepulveda to thrive in both areas of her career, though. In 2014, for instance, the fit cop earned a spot among “America’s hot girls of the gym” – a list compiled by Muscle and Fitness magazine. A year later, Inside Fitness magazine also profiled the officer-turned-model.

And, once the New York Post told Sepulveda’s story in its pages, her career skyrocketed to even greater heights. She nabbed a slew of interviews post-publication, of course. But Sepulveda also got the chance to star in her own pictorial feature for Maxim magazine.

For all of her success in modeling, though, Sepulveda’s focus has yet to waver. As of September 2017, in fact, she had no plans to leave her job as a police officer to focus on her career in front of the camera. But the model did hope to add more international gigs to her schedule and perhaps branch into reality TV or acting.

Sepulveda was also seeking better balance in her personal life, too. Namely, she had trouble finding partners who loved her for both her beauty and her brains. She also said some men had a problem with her propensity for sharing modeling photos online – especially if they are a bit racy.

Sepulveda explained to the New York Post, “I’ve had exes who asked me why I need to show my boobs all the time, but I’m not stupid. If people want to look at my boobs, that’s fine — but my Instagram has also given me a great platform to help people.” That has been her goal since the beginning, after all.

So Sepulveda hoped to use her bustling Instagram platform, police sensibilities and business training to do even more good in the world. In 2017 she even confessed that she wanted to use her expertise to help build sustainable energy plants in Thailand. The idea was actually already in development, too.

At the same time, Sepulveda was striving to lead a more traditional life. She even said she hoped that her bridal modeling gigs would serve as some sort of foreshadowing. Because although she didn’t have a beau, Sepulveda did admit to feeling like she was “ready to settle down.”

Of course, such a concept seemed out of character for Sepulveda, who has made time to pursue two very demanding careers. And she has certainly kept adding to her accomplishments on the force while maintaining her modeling portfolio. So don’t be fooled by her gorgeous good looks. As she retorted in 2017, “I’m still the number one summons issuer.”