ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Anchorage police officer Jill Martin pulled her patrol car onto the sidewalk Wednesday when she saw a three-vehicle car crash on Bragaw Road, where one driver had turned right on a red light. About 10 passengers from the vehicles involved huddled around a mangled gray car.
It's a typical day for an APD patrol officer, which Martin described at a job fair intended to recruit women for the state's police agencies.
Martin has been in law enforcement for 17 years. She told visitors to the third annual Women in Law Enforcement Recruitment Fair, held at the University of Alaska Anchorage, that her job is rewarding and a normal part of her life; her husband is also a police officer, and they have two boys.
Martin said more women should join APD's ranks.
“It’s a great job,” said Martin. “I can’t imagine doing anything else.”
Officials say even though women make up 48 percent of Alaska’s population, only about 10 percent of sworn law-enforcement officers are women. There is no clear answer to the question of why more women don't seem interested in the field.
