PARMA — Women are breaking barriers in law enforcement as the Parma Police Department (PPD) recently swore in four women into the force, the most they’ve ever sworn in.

What You Need To Know

  • Parma Police Department swore in four female police officers

  • Sergeant Amanda Kaniecki recalls being the only female officer at PPD

  • Female officers encounter workplace challenges such as pregnancy 
​But the road hasn’t always been smooth for female police officers.
 
Sergeant Amanda Kaniecki was the only female officer at her department for about eight years.

It hasn’t been easy, but Kaniecki is trying to keep the family bond in law enforcement going strong.

"So that is my grandpa," she said. "So in this picture, he would have been here for one year. He got hired Aug. 1 of 1958, and I got hired Aug. 1 of 2008, so exactly 50 years later I came in."

Kaniecki said being a woman in law enforcement hasn't always been easy.

"I graduated high school in what, 2003, the amount of females I knew of in law enforcement was zero," she said. "So I had no one to really reference with or talk to or network or pick their brains, so I was pretty much flying blind."

According to the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) women have reported experiencing hostile environments in law enforcement from harassment to sexism, even altered physical fitness assessments, something that doesn’t sit right with Kaniecki.

"I know there were some grumblings about 'oh can she cut it, can she hang, will she be able to fight is she strong enough,' and I knew that I was, I just had to convince everybody that they could count on me," she said.

Kaniecki said the training was also tough, and it required her to go above and beyond to prove she's right for the job.

"I went through my academy with a men’s ballistic vest and any of the females that wear a ballistic vest know that there is a difference between male and female ones, so now it is just standard because it's more prevalent that there are more females," she said.

Kaniecki said her biggest challenge was her pregnancy.

"Pregnancy and maternity leave, I was blessed to be able to work up until the day before I gave birth with both of my kids, but there is no set policy in place," she said. "I don’t want to say wing it, but it was as you go type of thing, you would possibly be moved to light duty."

Kaneicki said PPD was supportive of her pregnancy, and even provided her with a nursing room, but that didn’t change the recovery process she had to go through when she returned.

"Then coming back, the accommodations for nursing mothers and your body getting back to the strength it was at before is challenging for sure," she said.

Being surrounded by other female cops has made it all the more worth it. Kaneicki is one of 12 female officers at PPD and said the bond that the women have built goes far beyond the job.

Her mission now is to empower the next generation of women to feel confident in doing whatever it is they set their mind to.