# In the Sheriff Department we expect you to be mature and professional when on-duty or when you are representing us. Can you give us an example of a time you where able to stay cool under pressure in a stressful situation?
#### Last week, my Dad and I got stuck in a traffic jam for more than two hours. We crept along at 0-5 miles per hour on a short stretch of highway, extending an hour and a half trip to five hours.Earlier that afternoon, a tanker hauling ethanol had overturned. The Department of Transportation closed all lanes of two interstate highways for about 8 hours while the spill was addressed. A detour diverted traffic off the highway to a traffic light that allowed about 15 cars through at a time, contributing to the bottleneck. There were no alerts advising drivers where to exit the highway or indications of why traffic was at a standstill.After a couple of hours, I turned to my Phone to check out the local news. There, I read about the tanker and the detour. Finally, I knew what was happening and what actions I could take to remove myself from the situation most efficiently.
During much of this time, I was calm. When a handful of drivers chose to ride on the left shoulder of the highway, I didn’t get angry. I kept reminding myself that there was nothing I could do and urged me not to not get upset, frustrated, or angry. Instead of fuming or fretting, I relaxed.