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When Police Academy Class 344 graduated Nov. 18 at Temple University’s McGonigle Hall, 15 of the 80 cadets were women.
And one of those women was class valedictorian Krista Dahl, a 26-year-old South Philly resident and Penn State grad.
The cadet graduated with a 99.70 average, said Lt. Bill Walls of the police department’s Training Bureau. The lieutenant was one of Dahl’s instructors at the academy.
"She’s a really nice girl – the type of individual you’re glad to see choose a career in law enforcement," Walls said.
While the police department is still mostly male, look no further than the upper echelon of the department to see that women have made inroads.
"We’re definitely seeing more women coming on the police force. It’s a good job with benefits and with a lot of advancement possibilities," Walls said.
Second in command behind Commissioner Sylvester Johnson is Deputy Commissioner Patricia Giorgio-Fox, a South Philly native. Other women in command include Chief Inspector Evelyn Heath, commanding officer of the department’s Training Bureau, and Capt. Deborah Kelly, commanding officer of the 15th District in the Northeast. Kelly is a South Philly native and Heath spent some of her career here as inspector of the South Police Division before being promoted to chief inspector and transferring to the Training Bureau. There are a number of female captains, sergeants and lieutenants in the ranks, as well.
"I am very proud of Krista and her accomplishments finishing number one at the Police Academy," Heath said. "She is a model and an example for other female recruits. Her accomplishment is nothing more than what we female commanders know is possible and have come to expect of the future generation of female officers."
Dahl doesn’t consider herself a role model to young women who want to pursue a career in law enforcement.
"There are women in positions of power in the police department who I consider to be a role model to me," she said.
The rookie doesn’t have any immediate aspirations to climb the ladder of command. For now, she’s focusing on being the best cop she can be.
"My concentration in the first few years is to learn the job as best I can and interact with the community on a firsthand basis," she said.
THIS PAST MONDAY Dahl donned her light-blue shirt and navy blue pants and reported for work at the 17th Police District, 20th and Federal streets, in Point Breeze.
Before entering the academy, Dahl worked for three years as a victim advocate for Victim Witness Services of South Philadelphia, 1426 S. 12th St. The organization guides victims through the criminal justice system.
"You got to see firsthand how deep crime affects people. I hope to utilize that to make [myself] a good officer in order to deal with people positively in their first moments of crime," she said.
Dahl believes her experience as a victim advocate complements her new job, especially since most of her former clients were 17th District residents.
"I enjoyed working with her in South Division in her capacity as a victim advocate," Heath said. "I anticipate great things from her in the future."
While the rookie did not get to select her first assignment, she did show an interest in working in the district she knew.
"I’m honored as the commanding officer that she expressed a desire to serve in the 17th District," said 17th District Capt. Jerrold Bates.
"It’s a busy district, but it’s also a district I know pretty well," Dahl said. "It’s obviously a district that is busy because it has a lot of crime, but it also has a lot of great [community] people there."
Becoming a cop fulfills a lifelong ambition for the newly minted officer.
"I always wanted to go to the Police Academy and become a police officer. I always thought it was an honorable profession, one where you got to work with the community and do positive things. I’ve always been drawn to community-oriented jobs. Police was the ultimate in that. You get to work with people when they are most in need," Dahl said.
A year after graduating from Penn State in 2002 with a degree in criminal justice, Dahl took the city test to become eligible to enter the academy. The test is not offered every year. Dahl passed, but was not eligible to enter the academy until June 2005. When she graduated this month, she became the first police officer in her family.
"I was proud of graduating number one. That was a nice moment to be able to tell my younger niece and family," Dahl said.
