Her Story
About Brittany
I am a sergeant in law enforcement and have been a police officer for 17 years. I was drawn to this career after a family member joined law enforcement and I did a couple of ride-alongs with him. During those ride-alongs, I didn't see a lot of Black women representation, so I wanted to have that for people coming behind me to see that we can do this job as well. As a night shift sergeant, my typical shift involves coming in for roll call where I brief my unit on the different things of the day and things that have been going on. We answer regular radio calls and I lead my team. My focus areas are peer wellness, mental health in the community, and leadership. One of my most notable professional achievements was assisting in getting a person in mental crisis out of the house who did not want to come out, without any violence of any sort. We did not have to go hands-on. We were able to talk him out of the house and get him the help he needed without escalating the situation. The work can be emotionally draining, especially when kids are involved, but it's incredibly rewarding. In 2019, I received a life-saving award for performing CPR on a man and bringing him back while waiting on paramedics.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Brittany
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to my family. My family is my biggest support system. My wife pushes me to do the best that I can. She always encourages me to do better, to do more, to do whatever I can. Without that support and encouragement from my family, I wouldn't be where I am today.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I ever received was to stay yourself, stay positive, and don't let the negatives outweigh the good. This advice has helped me maintain my authenticity and focus on the positive aspects of my work, even when facing challenges in law enforcement.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
My advice to young women entering law enforcement is to stay the course. Don't let anybody tell you that you can't do something, or that men can do something better than you can, because we have just as much opportunity as they have. It's still a pretty male-dominated field, and we still have some people who think that it should stay that way, but they're wrong. You can do this job, and you need to believe in yourself and your abilities.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenges in law enforcement is social media. People see only half of what actually happens . The negative unfortunately is what society loves to see.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The most important values to me are being positive and showing everybody that anybody can do it regardless of what they have to say about it. I believe in maintaining a positive outlook and demonstrating through my actions that barriers can be overcome and that representation matters. These values guide both my professional work in law enforcement and my personal life.
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