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To honor and highlight police women, I am dedicating an entire season to the ladies in blue. We see them all the time, at a traffic stop, even at the line in Starbucks... We hear of their bravery, courage, and, sometimes sadly of their death. We see the uniform and the badge, but do we see the woman? In this season, police women will share with us what it's like to be a woman police officer, a woman in uniform. These extraordinary ladies share with us their journey in law enforcement, their challenges and successes. We talk about childhood memories, people who inspire, people who represent obstacles, resiliency, self-discovery and self-awareness, marriage and motherhood, patrolling the streets, investigating sex trafficking, gangs, and other violent crimes, climbing the ladder, putting their lives on the line, suicide, getting shot, and, even the ultimate sacrifice. A season like never before! #policewomen #empowerment #leadership #women #careers #lawenforcement #podcast
Retired Chief of Police Kristen Ziman kicks off Season 3 with a riveting episode. Kristen broke the glass ceiling by becoming the first woman Chief of Police in the Aurora Police Department, Illinois. Kristen didn't have an obstacle-free road, but she certainly left a footprint! Kristen shares with us how her father, a police officer, and "Karen," a patrol officer, inspired her. She shares her journey in the law enforcement world, from being ignored to being told to not even bother putting in for a job (promotion), to using "criticism" as her fuel and climbing the ladder like no other woman in the Aurora PD had. She tells us anecdotes from chasing a guy to running a command post as her officers are under fire, and we touch the surface on the 30x30 initiative, leadership, and defunding the police.
Lindsay McCall Long is a former police officer, who after nearly 17 years of public service, had to make the challenging decision to retire. Lindsay was shot in the line of duty while responding to a domestic violence call in 2018, after 14 years of service. Lindsay gets real in this episode and shared with us her personal life. From growing up with parents in the music industry, remember MC Hammer?! To opening up about incidents that changed her life, from losing her father at the age of 17, to losing a colleague just before she got shot herself. She also talks to us about motherhood and postpartum depression, and what it was like to be a woman of color in law enforcement. Lindsay also reminds us to be human and treat others as such--sometimes all it takes, is to call people by their names to get them to listen. Lindsay is now a key note speaker at many events, and she and her husband talk about trauma, resiliency and survival! You can learn more about Lindsay by visiting her website https://lindsaytalks.com.
Lindsay McCall Long on making the tough decision to retire
Sgt. Sarah Shendy is the first Muslim Arab-American woman to become a Sergeant in Ohio! She has 16 years of law enforcement experience and in this episode she shares with us her journey, from living in Egypt and Saudi Arabia, to immigrating to the United States and later becoming a police officer. She shares personal anecdotes such as struggling in school and having her first encounter with the police--a DARE law enforcement officer (LEO), who inspired her. In her early years as a LEO, she also gave back by helping children and teenagers through DARE and similar programs. She has done extraordinary work building bridges between the Arab and LEO communities; she even created a course, which has been taught over 100 times. She has led recruitment efforts to ensure diversity! She is compassionate, fueled by empathy, and wears the uniform with pride! Her achievements have been recognized by many organizations to include the 30x30, the International Association of Chiefs of Police, and most recently the Arab-America Foundation 40 under 40!
Retired Detective Heidi Chance leads us into the world of an undercover sex trafficking officer. Heidi retired from the Phoenix Police Department, where for 13 years she worked deep undercover, often putting her life on the line, to put sex traffickers away. Heidi is a legacy police officer, as her father served for 26 years also in the Phoenix P.D., and he was her inspiration. In this episode, Heidi shares with us her 27 years of law enforcement experience, from becoming the first woman cadet for the Phoenix PD and being assigned badge #2, to becoming a detective and immersing herself in a dangerous, pervasive, and dark life of prostitution, sex trafficking, and pimps. Heidi's achievements are beyond extraordinary, having put away several perps for life. One of them for 493.5 years! She continues to kick butt and now imparts her knowledge to other law enforcement agencies, the public, and the corporate world. She recently wrote "Talk to Them," a book for parents, guardians, and caregivers that will help them navigating difficult conversations with kids about online dangers. You can learn more about Heidi by visiting her website https://www.achanceforawareness.com/.
Former Law Enforcement Jess Flores opens up about law enforcement not being for everyone. Jess began her LEO journey at the tender of 21- it was a 9 and a half-year road of self-discovery and most importantly, realizing little by little that she was not destined to a career in a police department. She talks to us about the Academy, challenges and successes experienced in her police department, to include being shot at and later suffering a hand injury--all factors that confirmed her decision to leave the force. She and I also talk about domestic violence and how being in an abusive relationship affected her perceptions when responding to DV calls. Something extremely important to realize for all officers, as your mindset will affect and personal challenges can transfer into your work impacting it negatively. Years after leaving the law enforcement world, Jess reinvented herself as a transition coach catering to law enforcement officers and others who are either contemplating if they should leave the force or how to handle the civilian world. *This episode contains words that some might find offensive, listening discretion is advised.
Do you want to hear from a badass police woman, who did undercover ops while pregnant? Detective Michelle McAllister from the Prince William County Police Department joined me to talk about her 19 years kicking butt! She takes us through an inspiring and riveting story of her journey in the #PWCPD from being inspired by her father, who was in the Secret Service, to working with various task forces, to include the FBI. Michelle has worked narcotics, violent gangs, crimes against children, and she even shares with us a bit about a case, where she saved a little child from sex abuse. Heartbreaking indeed. She shared personal anecdotes of challenging times, about the effects of colleagues committing suicide or being killed in the line of duty, and knowing when it's time to move squads. We talked about the stigma that still exists today, the stigma that "women can't be cops." Michelle has made waves and is leaving a footprint as she also established is and is running the first mentoring program within her department. A mentoring program that aims to educate, provide political savviness, inspire, and empower other law enforcement women. *Listening discretion is advised. #policewoman #gangs #truestories #suicide
Nicole Romero, retired police officer from the Miami-Dade Police Department (MDPD), joined me to share her journey, from going through both the #MDPD and the Miami Fire and Rescue application process, to medically retiring after 12 years of service. Nicole opens up about what it was like to go through the MDPD Academy as a single mom and the tragic accident that ended her career. Nicole and I talk about her first assignment and how being in a high-crime area really means "hit the ground running" and truly learning how to investigate shootings, gangs, and dealing with crime scenes. We also talked about challenges women in law enforcement face--challenges not in leadership or ascending the ladder, but ones that can keep you alive--like staying in shape, weapon retention, and having presence. Tune in today to listen to her inspiring story! #MiamiDadePD #womeninlawenforcement #truestories #womenempowerment
Lynn Holland has over 30 years of law enforcement experience in the domestic and international arena. She is a trailblazer! She paved the way for many women in law enforcement, by being the first American woman to attend training with Scotland Yard, the first woman peacekeeper in Haiti, and the first woman embedded with military observers during the Kosovo war. Her stories are truly riveting! She worked as a human rights investigator where she investigated war crimes, and where her life was at risk--but she did not relent and her evidence and reports made it to the Hague--her work ultimate resulted in charging Slobodan Milošević! Lynn is credited with helping create the first police academy in Kosovo, an academy in which the first female president of Kosovo also trained! Despite facing obstacles as a woman in the 1980s and 1990s, Lynn's resilience and determination led her to achieve extraordinary milestones. Tune in to listen to her fantastic story today! #trailblazer #policewoman #humanrights
Kelsey Serck is a warrior! She is a badass young police woman, who battled stage IV cancer at the young age of 16. Kelsey's long cancer journey along with the inspiration of her cousin, a police officer, are what led her to join law enforcement and want to serve at the Department of Veteran Affairs Police Department. Kelsey serves with compassion and empathy, attributes that are needed in all of us not only in law enforcement, but as a society. She serves the backbone of our country, veterans in crisis. Kelsey has been with the department for two years and in her short tenure, Kelsey's contribution to law enforcement are tangible as she created the program "coffee with a cop;" and, she attends as many trainings as possible in order to grow and be able to share her knowledge with others--a leader in the making. Prior to joining the Department of Veteran Affairs Police Department, Kelsey joined the Minnehaha County Police Reserves program to gain experience in law enforcement, as an Adult Protective Specialist for the State of South Dakota, and as a 911 Dispatcher. She also interned with the Children’s Miracle Network to be able to give back to other families whose children are battling cancer. Tune in today to listen to her inspiring episode! #veterans #policewoman #veteranaffairs #cancerwarrior
To read about Kelsey's battle with cancer, click below.
Ivonne Roman, Maureen "Mo" McGaugh, and Tanya Meisenholder are making waves and shifting the policing culture! They are committed to changing the policing world for women through their 30x30 initiative, which hundreds of USA local, state, federal and even Canadian law enforcement agencies have joined. The 30x30 aims to increase women in law enforcement agencies by 30% by 2030--but their main objective is not to just recruit and check the box! A significant part of the initiative's mission is to change the environment for women in policing-- a conducive environment that meets women's physical needs and which is safe. We are different! There is no denying it and we require a space that allows us to grow and thrive as women officers, from being given training opportunities, the opportunity to promote and advanced in our careers, the right equipment to be safe and work more effectively, the necessary facilities (breastfeeding, locker rooms, etc.), and most importantly a space where we feel psychologically safe. Tune in to this amazing episode and visit https://30x30initiative.org/ to learn more.
Kristen Ziman, Retired Chief of Police
Kristen Ziman, Retired Chief of Police
Lindsay McCall Long, former Police Officer
Lindsay McCall Long, former Police Officer
Grab a cup of joe and join me bi-monthly to listen to a new episode of Badass in Heels!
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