DARTMOUTH – Haley Wallace wants to become a police officer. The teen says it has been her dream since she was five-years-old.
“I’m a really big people person. I love being interactive and this job definitely covers that,” the 19-year-old from Antigonish said.
But Wallace acknowledges that she will be a minority in her chosen profession.
Only about one out of every five officers in the Halifax Regional Police is a woman.
“Sometimes people ask what I want to do and people are shocked when I say I want to be a police officer,” she said.
But, she isn’t letting that get in her way.
Wallace is one of several young women and girls taking part in Camp Courage, a program meant to encourage young Nova Scotian women to become first responders, such as paramedics, police officers and firefighters.
WATCH: Part 1 of Julia Wong’s series on Camp Courage
Wednesday, the third day of the camp, marked a full day of police training for the 24 young women.
Get breaking National news
They learned how to load and shoot guns; some of the teens were obviously nervous at handling a real gun while others were cool, calm and collected as they off-loaded bullets into a target.
The teens also learned how to use a baton against an aggressor and self-defense. It was a physically demanding day for the young women, but they were more than willing to give everything a try.
But along with learning the tricks of the policing trade, there were also discussions on whether female police officers face discrimination or stigma because of their gender.
“You do face discrimination: a) being female and b) just being a police officer,” one female police officer said.
“We’re all the same. Females might have to work a little bit harder. We might not be as strong as some males are. That’s the way we’re built,” Wallace said. “But, if we work out butts off, we can do it.”
That’s an attitude Const. Susan Spearns, who has been with the HRP since October 2007, also had.
Spearns expressed she had to “up her game” to prove herself among the men.
“Coming into an environment that is predominantly males, coming in as a female, I knew would be a bit challenging,” Spearns said. “I knew I had to rise to fitness challenges, to aptitude tests and interviews and I would be compared on a scale alongside men.”
She believes it’s important to have more women in the police force to create a sense of balance.
“We offer so much in certain instances. We certainly benefit a situation just the same as men do,” she said. “There is a role there for women and a role there for men. I think we work well together.”
The officer said she notices her fellow male officers sometimes look out for her, while the people she encounters on the job, be it suspects or victims or witnesses, sometimes underestimate her.
Spearns hopes more young women consider a career in policing, adding more hands-on programs like Camp Courage and career presentations in schools could help peak their interests.
But, it seems the program is already working on campers like 16-year-old Madison Murray, of Pictou County.
Murray wants to be a police officer and said the interactive day has only confirmed what she already knew.
“It makes me want to do it even more,” she said.
The camp continues for the duration of the week. On Friday, participants will suit up to spend the day as firefighters.
Comments