CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Tzepporah "Sophie" Gonzalez wants others to understand one particular statement when considering a law enforcement career.
"If I can do it, you can do it," Sophie said to KRIS 6 News reporter Alexis Scott.
Gonzalez is a junior at West Oso High School and a Corpus Christi Police Explorer for Post #133 - a program thats she's been part of for more than two years.
Gonzalez was inspired to join the program by several family members, who are also in law enforcement including her aunt, who is a CCPD lieutenant. Her aunt is also one of the only female lieutenants on the force.
“Just looking at her, she has just really inspired me," Gonzalez said.
Data shows women make up about 12% of sworn officers and 3% of police leadership. With a plan to join the police academy after high school and then become a crime scene investigator, Gonzalez said the program doing much more than what she expected.
“I’ve had a lot of anxiety and I was very shy but this really helped with leadership skills," Gonzalez said. "It’s also helped with communication and it’s really brought me out of my shell and I'm learning a lot.”
The program began 51 years ago. It's named after fallen officer John W. Sartain, and offers detailed police training to young adults ages 14-20 with an interest in purusing a career in law enforcement. Participants receive training on various categories like the criminal justice system, crime scene search, accident investigations and even go on ride-alongs with other officers.
“They go from being an explorer to now they’re eligible to apply for the academy," Senior Officer Lillian Penick said. "It helps streamline the application process because we already have them ready. We have them ready physically, mentally, they are leaps and bounds ahead of most people that just wake up one day and say ‘You know I just want to be a police officer today.’ “
Right now, there are 16 participants in Post #133, however, seven of them are young women. Gonzalez said that doesn't bother her; she's hoping to break through what many consider a male-dominated industry.
Penick mentioned there are two field training instructors in the program that can relate to the young female participants. One of the instructors was previously in the program for six years, the other for two. They eventually went through the police academy, earned a job with CCPD and are now giving back by helping other young women in the Explorers Program.
“We’ve seen a huge increase, especially with the explorer program, with young ladies wanting to do this," Penick said. "By seeing other female officers, that really kind of helps bridge that gap with our younger explorers, especially the females. They can see ‘Hey I started right where you are and look where I am now.’”
Along with the skills Gonzalez is learning through the program, she has been recognized for her time in Post #133 and received several milestone certificates.
Gonzalez said she wants to continue encouraging her friends and other young women to join the Explorer program. She hopes to inspire them to pursue a career in law enforcement, just like her family has done for her.
if you're interested in joining the Corpus Christi Police Explorers Program Post #133, contact CCPD Senior Officer Lillian Penick or click here for more details.
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