27 reasons for women in law enforcement to celebrate

Have some fun, enjoy a few laughs, and be grateful that you — and your brothers and sisters — are part of greatest profession in the world

November 06, 2014 03:16 PM •

As yet another year draws toward its end, and we gear up to celebrate things like our faith, our family, and our togetherness, I want to invite all of my sisters in law enforcement to join me in a little celebration of our own.

Think about all that is wonderful and unique about being a part of the law enforcement profession. Go beyond the ordinary and ponder these 27 reasons to be glad you’re a female crimefighter.

1. You get to carry a gun — heck, you can carry as many guns as you want!
2. You have lots and lots of brothers.
3. You can rack a 12 gauge shotgun just like the mom in the Terminator movies.
4. You never have to worry about what you’re going to wear to work.
5. Blue (brown, green, khaki, tan) looks good on you.
6. You ROCK aviator sunglasses!
7. Firefighters invite you to the station for dinner — a lot.
8. You get to play with knives.
9. You get to put handcuffs on people you’re not in a relationship with.
10. Three words: Black. Leather. Boots.
11. You get to save the day.
12. You have your own rifle, and you know how to use it.
13. Every day is an adventure.
14. At parties you have better stories than everyone else.
15. Kids think you’re cool.
16. Adults look up to you.
17. Every domestic dispute you go on makes you feel better about your own family.
18. Your own kids brag about you when you’re not around.
19. You’re part of a really big family.
20. The other moms in the PTA are a little afraid of you.
21. You can change a tire in less than five minutes.
22. You’re always the coolest parent at “Career Day.”
23. You have a holster for every outfit.
24. When you walk into a restaurant people turn their heads and stare at you (like being a Kardashian... only better!)
25. You are somebody’s role model.
26. You are someone’s hero.
27. What you do matters — a LOT!

Let’s face it: we don’t spend nearly enough time focusing on the positive aspects of this job. I challenge you to add to this list. Have some fun, enjoy a few laughs, and be grateful that you — and your brothers and sisters — are part of greatest profession in the world.

Women in Law Enforcement

Betsy Brantner Smith

My column is undergoing a bit of an identity crisis. I’ve been writing for the Street Survival “Newsline” and the P1 Newsletter for several years. As a Street Survival seminar instructor, I write about officer safety and survival, but I’m also a supervisor, a mom, a trainer, a cop’s wife, and dare I say, a woman, so I’ve got a lot to say about any number of topics (what woman doesn’t?!), and I’ve always received great feedback from our readers. So when Police One approached me and asked me to author a monthly column dealing with women’s issues, I enthusiastically agreed. “What a great opportunity” I naively thought “to bring issues to light that both women and men in law enforcement could all relate to, perhaps discuss at roll call, and ultimately learn something from each other.” Yeah, just call me Sergeant Pollyanna…I forgot that by calling it a “women’s” column, not only will most of our male readers skip over it, but so will at least half our female readers. What?! Why in the world wouldn’t women read a “women’s” column?! Because, there are a lot of female crimefighters out there like me who have spent a lot of years just trying to blend in, to be “one of the guys” if you will…to be perceived as and conduct ourselves as “warriors,” not “victims.” We don’t want special treatment; we just want to be cops.