‘If she can do it, I can do it’

Women in Public Safety Day encourages women to pursue careers in law enforcement

The FVTC Public Safety Training Center was the host site for this year’s Women in Public Safety Day, an annual event coordinated by the Appleton Police Department. Around 50 women ages 15 to 21 interested in working in public safety attended the event, which took place on Thursday, April 25.

Women from agencies from around northeast Wisconsin provided an inside look at their professions. Participants spent the day getting firsthand experience and knowledge about the diverse career areas available to them, such as firefighting, law enforcement, emergency medical services, forensic science, corrections and dispatch.

FVTC Criminal Justice department chair Carrie Koepp spent 18 years working in corrections and law enforcement with the Winnebago County Sheriff’s Department, and she wants more women to pursue careers in criminal justice. “I want them to think, ‘I want to be like her someday. If she can do it, I can do it.'”

Lt. Meghan Cash of the Appleton Police Department says that nationally, women make up less than 12% of law enforcement. Even fewer are in leadership roles in their departments. “We want to see those numbers change because we know women bring something unique to the profession. They have different skill sets than our male counterparts,” she says. “Everybody in law enforcement can add something different to our workforces.”

Learn more about Public Safety careers at Fox Valley Technical College >>