Collegiate Times

Throughout her career, Virginia Tech Police Chief Debra Duncan has been sexually harassed and discriminated against for being a woman in her field. She had a hard time starting her career in law enforcement and pulling ahead in the male-dominated field.

The Virginia State Police in conjunction with the Women's Center at Virginia Tech sponsored an event titled ?Women In Policing: the Gender Issue? at the Career Center last night, shedding light on issues such as what Chief Duncan has gone through.

Seven representatives from the FBI, the Virginia State Police and local police departments spoke about the experiences they have had with their careers as well as the different issues they have faced while serving in law enforcement.

They also discussed the issues of stereotypes, physical barriers, issues of sexual harassment and discrimination.

The problem with many women turning away from careers in law enforcement is the stereotype that it is a male-oriented field and many women also feel like it is a hostile work environment, said Trooper Beverly Haile of the Virginia State Police.

There is also the notion that physical strength and policing is a major characteristic of the job. Studies show that female officers are just as efficient as male officers, Haile said.

Most of the women who spoke did not actually feel like they were being treated differently in their jobs because they were women, and they chose their jobs because they liked the idea of making a difference in the community.

Trooper Becky Curl of the Virginia State Police said that she never believed law enforcement was a male-dominated field. In her experience, everyone is equal. The situation all depends on how one deals with it.

?It is important to realize that you can help men just as much as they can help you,? she said.

However, some of the women did experience difficulty while working with their departments.

Captain Kimberly Lettner of the Virginia State Police faced rumors that she was only being promoted to the various positions she had because she was a woman.

By increasing the presence of female officers, incidents of sexual harassment and stereotyping would be greatly reduced, Haile said.

Duncan did not expect her job to be so hard when she first started.

?I knew I had to do the job and I had to prove it, so what I ended up doing was working a lot harder so that I could be accepted,? she said. ?If you go in with the wrong attitude then you're not going to make it.?

The hardest thing about being a woman on the force is that you work with mostly men. Things have changed a little bit since they are hiring more women, but things still are not where they should be, she said.

Duncan added that it takes a lot of dedication to pursue this as a career.

?I think you need to do your research,? Duncan said. ?I think you need to know what it is you're getting into. It's not like it is in television. You need to go find a police department and talk to people and do ride-alongs. It's a commitment and you need to make up your mind to know that that's what you want to do.?

One student was pleased to hear that the women had diverse jobs in law enforcement.

?There are so many strong leaders with different backgrounds,? said Amanda Sotomayor, junior political science major. ?It definitely shows that women can do just about anything in this career field. You have the women on (motorcycles), FBI agents, homeland security. It's nice to know it's changing and that a lot of people haven't had issues with their jobs.?

The idea for the lecture came when Haile saw that Virginia Tech's Women's Center was celebrating women's month. Haile coordinated the event for women's month because she feels it's her job to increase the minority applicant pool.

?There has been a stereotype with women in law enforcement,? Haile said. ?There's the perception it's a male-dominated career. I think a lot of people, even females, think that. It's not gender-specific, it's a career for everyone.?