Wichita Falls 69th Police Academy is made up of eighteen recruits and three of them are female. That’s the largest female presence in a WFPD Academy class since 2008.
Cindy Casillas, Ashley Davin and Heather Zimny are all WFPD Recruits that share the same goal- to become a Wichita Falls Police Officer. “I think I speak for the men also that are here that we just want to make a difference,” said Casillas.
Knowing that she won’t be the only woman working for a badge, Casillas said that she and the other women have felt more comfortable as they work their way through the academy. At first, Casillas said that she was nervous about all the exercise and physical fitness aspects that go along with the academy. But Casillas said she is ready to accomplish anything else that the academy puts in front of her. “Go for it… do it.. I mean you never know until you try it and if you never try then you will never know so you have to take that leap of faith and just try and do it,” said Casillas.
Though she’s not in Kansas anymore, Ashley Davin reflected on a special woman whose impact helped push her to purse police work. “There was an Officer Lutz back in Kansas when I was growing up and I went to school with her daughter and she was in the Sheriff’s Department and she was a big influence on what I strive to be like and someone I looked up to when I was a small kid,” said Davin.
Heather Zimny has lived in Wichita Falls since she was in first grade. Zimny said that the larger female presence in the academy is a positive thing and that women should have the confidence to pursue police work if they wish to. Zimny said she wants to make her future police presence in Wichita Falls a positive one by working with local youth. “I’ve always wanted to work with the community in some aspect and with teenagers in particular and I just want to make a positive influence which is something that I have always been drawn to,” said Zimny.
Joey Anderson is one of the Wichita Falls Police Training Officers. Anderson said the academy never judges any recruit based on sex, race, or religion. Anderson said that the WFPD could not be happier to have a stronger female presence.
“You know it has been great having women in our department. There is a huge place for them at our department but at the end of the day when we do our recruiting, we are looking for the very best police officers for the city,” said Anderson.
As of right now less than ten percent of the female police force is female out of more than 200 officers. But Anderson and the rest of the WFPD can’t wait to see those numbers increase.
– Newschannel 6
