The left arms of Sarah Storm and Alex Piry are both explosions of color—collages of illustrations that come together into glorious pieces of art. Coincidentally, Caylin O’Hara and Nina Evans are sporting forearm tattoos as well.

This detail seems relevant in a conversation about the upper body strength of female police officers. When you have to log the exact number of push-ups as a man—with two-thirds the muscle mass—to pass the police academy’s physical agility test, why not show-off your arms as a symbol of strength and pride?

The four recent hires at Indiana University Police Department – Northwest (IUPD-NW) pondered this observation, and acknowledged they had worked hard to earn their fitness—and, their badges.

“As long as you know what you are doing is right ... as long as you are confident with your decisions and you treat people with respect, you will go far in this profession.”  

- Officer Alex Piry

The officers recently sat down to talk about push-ups, in part, but more so their journeys into law enforcement, what’s it’s like to be a woman in a male-dominated profession, and the experience of working in one of the most diverse collegiate police departments in the state.

Nationwide, women account for just 12 percent of law enforcement officers according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics—an unfortunate reality given the advantages that women bring to the law enforcement profession. Studies show that women tend to offer different ways of dealing with conflict, which helps diffuse violent situations, and these qualities are especially effective in situations involving other women.

A long-time proponent of diversity, IUPD-NW Chief Wayne James, has actively worked to recruit qualified women, in part because he wanted the force to reflect the students it serves, roughly 70 percent of whom are women. For example, his nationally recognized efforts include mentoring and physical training during the police academy application process. James was recently named to the International Association of Chiefs of Police’s list of 40 Under 40 notable law enforcement leaders, in large part because of his efforts while serving as IU’s Chief Diversity Officer. Today the IUPD-NW employs 15 full-time and seven part-time officers.

“When people tell me they cannot recruit enough women officers, I say they have given up,” James said. “You just have to expand your search.”

Why law enforcement?

Of the four, Evans has the most experience. At 37, the Gary native is an Officer 1^st Class who came to IU Northwest in 2017. Prior to that, she served the Gary Police Department for more than eight years.

“Having all of us here shows that this career is not just for men. Women can do this job. We are proof. We can show all the young women on campus that they can be anything if they put their minds to it, no matter what people say."

- Officer Nina Evans

Her journey started with a ride-along with her cousin, a Gary officer.

“It was a great experience,” she recalled. “I felt like I could save the world. I was too young to work for the police department back then, so I worked security at the prison. When I was old enough, I applied to the Gary PD and the rest is history.”

Storm, 24, of Highland, said law enforcement is her calling. Hired in November of 2017, the Officer 3^rd class enjoys the challenge of having to remain physically and mentally sharp and ready for a new experience each day.

Piry, 22, of Schererville, wanted to be a firefighter initially, but seeing the day-to-day work of her brother and stepfather, who are police officers, sold her on the career. The Joliet, Ill. native is an Officer 3^rd class.

“As cheesy as it might sound,” Piry quipped, “I want to help people and make a difference.”

For Officer 3^rd Class O’Hara, 27, of Hammond, the attraction to law enforcement resembles that of Storm. She enjoys the variety and challenge of handling tense scenarios in an effective way.

The student-officer connection

Because the IUPD-NW officers interact with students, staff, and faculty on a daily basis, this makes for a more welcoming environment overall and one in which students feel safe.

"Having women officers on staff brings a certain level of comfort to the mostly female student body,"

- Officer Sarah Storm

As Storm pointed out, having women officers on staff brings a certain level of comfort to the mostly female student body.

Evans concurred, recalling a time when she had to handle a domestic situation on campus.

“Being a woman in that situation was really as asset,” Evans said. “The student involved was able to open up to me and talk about the situation in a way that she might not have felt comfortable doing with a male officer.”

She added that having a diverse department “gives all students a better chance of having an officer they feel comfortable talking to about their problem.”

On working in a male-dominated profession

For these women, the fact that they are minorities in their profession appears to be a non-issue. Piry said she hasn’t ever felt as if her male counterparts weren’t treating her as an equal.

Evans says women shouldn’t allow a mostly male work environment to influence their behavior.

“Be yourself. You don’t have to change,” Evans said. “I see a lot of women who feel like they have to be like a male officer. You can still be yourself. Don’t feel like you have to compete with your male counterpart. You have to assert yourself, but you definitely don’t have to change your personality.”

A helping hand

In his efforts to recruit qualified women to join the applicant pool, James said the trouble is not recruiting female applicants. Rather, it is finding women who can sail through the entire process.

"The problem with the agility tests is that both men and women don’t practice. They don’t think it’s going to be hard. I gave them pointers on how I practiced.” 

- Officer Caylin O'Hara

Historically, the physical agility test, and in particular, the push-ups, are where women tend to fall out of the running. The key, veteran officers knew, was to practice effectively. This tip is only one of many other pieces of valuable advice that veteran officers can pass on to prospective ones to help them succeed.

With this in mind, IUPD-NW provided a mock agility test designed to help all applicants excel. The first round took place in January 2017 and was repeated every Sunday for at least four months. The sessions benefitted all applicants, men and women alike. The department plans to repeat the sessions beginning each January.

O’Hara served as a mentor for the sessions.

“The problem with the agility tests is that both men and women don’t practice,” O’Hara said. “They don’t think it’s going to be hard. I gave them pointers on how I practiced. When I first started practicing, I could barely do one push-up. By the time I graduated, I could do 48.”

Piry admitted that she failed the police academy’s agility test the first time around because she had been practicing the push-ups all wrong.

“Had I been through a program like this ahead of time,” Piry said, “I might not have had to fail the test in order to learn that. I didn’t realize your chest must go all the way down. As soon as I realized that, I used a can of soup to practice, making sure my chest touched the can before I came back up.”

The mock process involves more than agility. James and his veteran officers keep in touch with and mentor the applicants throughout the process. This was where Storm benefitted the most. She listened intently to the advice offered by James, which helped her rise to the top of the application stack.

James emphasized that diversity isn’t a factor in hiring, only in recruiting applicants. In 2017, James said that of the 54 applicants, 15 were women.

“Because of the rigor of the application process, only the most dedicated and qualified achieve their goals,” James said, “and we’re proud to have them. These women have brought energy, openness, compassion, drive and innovation to our department.”

“The female perspective on approaching situations has been a good thing,” James added. “They have educated other officers about addressing women on traffic stops, as one example. They bring different perspectives to the table which makes the overall atmosphere for students, faculty, staff and the community better.”

From left: Officers Caylin O'Hara, Alex Piry, Sarah Storm and Nina Evans.