CAMDEN -- Every single day, Lt. Linda Alicea worried. The winter of 2014 delivered snowstorm after snowstorm, and her then 22-year-old daughter Cynthia Melendez was drilling outside every day as she made her way through the Camden County Police Academy, working toward a long-simmering dream of following in her mother's footsteps.

"I stressed as much as if I was in the academy," Alicea said as she and Melendez sat in Alicea's office at the police trailer on 10th and Linden that serves as the North Division station house. "I wanted to be able to pin that badge on her."

The pair have made history in the department by flipping the typical patrilineage script of policing traditions. While father-son and father-daughter pairings aren't uncommon in many departments, when Alicea did pin the badge on her daughter's uniform that June, they became the first mother and daughter to serve on the force.

"The whole thing was a little surreal," Melendez said of the moment. "It was like, 'Is this really happening?""

Being first isn't new for Alicea -- she became the first hispanic woman to reach a commanding rank when she was promoted last June. The North Camden native assumed command of the city's 4th District before being moved to commander of the 3rd three weeks ago. Her daughter often works the night shift, patroling the 1st District, made up of some of the streets Alicea grew up on and where she raised her two daughters.

"You understand life in the city and what happens in the city, and you want to help them," said Melendez standing outside Coopers Poynt School where she graduated 8th grade from in 2004 before the family moved to Deptford Township.

Four blocks west is the house on Point Street where Melendez grew up, and just around the corner from there is the red brick home where Alicea was raised, a stone's throw from the Ben Franklin Bridge's vast steel feet.

"We used to play under the bridge," Alicea said as she drove by, adding her mom never let them get too close. Her deep roots in the city just makes the sense of duty to the people here that much more urgent, she said.

"It's nice to come out here and protect your old neighborhood. You take it personally," said Alicea.

She started patrolling Camden's streets 19 years ago, and save a 2-year stint in narcotics investigations, she's spent the bulk of her time in operations. She was part of the first wave of officers to build the new county police force when it took over policing in the city -- her badge number is 9 -- by conducting background investigations on officers being brought on board.

She's seen the effect the new force has had, she said, and it's significant. It'd be impossible to drive through her old neighborhood without seeing at least one or two drug deals made right out in the open, she said. Now, it's quieter, and most people she sees out now are residents going about their days.

"It's a big difference out here," she said.

Alicea wanted to be an officer since she was a child, a dream her daughter also picked up on at a young age.

"[Law enforcement] is something that's always been around," said Melendez, whose older sister also works as a civilian analyst for the department. "I wanted to help people."

Despite previous reports of high turnover among the force's newest recruits, Melendez said she's never hesitates to put the uniform on before a shift. Like mother, like daughter, she said she's looking toward a long career in the city.

On the job, "business is business," Alicea said and Melendez salutes the woman who raised her just like any lower-ranking officer. But at home at the dinner table or when they can catch up in the brief times their shifts overlap, Alicea said she tries to pass on the lessons she learned over nearly two decades of climbing the ranks in a predominately male environment.

By taking on the daily challenges of the job without reservation, Alicea said she was able to head off any misguided criticisms about being a woman on the force before they came.

"I was always the one to run into the fight with [another officer]," she said."I always told her, you always maintain that attitude and show everyone you're just as strong."

Now that Melendez has almost two years under her belt, Alicea says she doesn't worry anymore. She just has faith.

"It's a sacrifice," she said. "You just hope you're both going to come home at the end of the day."

Michelle Caffrey may be reached at mcaffrey@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @ShellyCaffrey. Find the South Jersey Times on Facebook.