The Junction City Police Department has been in existence since the late 1800s; in that time there has been one female Lieutenant in its history – Tricia Giordano.

A military brat and 1986 graduate of Junction City High School, Trish, as many in the community know her, has always had a commitment and desire to work in public service.

“I definitely knew that I wanted to do something in law enforcement [since I was a little girl],” said Giordano.

After a few years of college and applying to the JCPD, Giordano was among eight individuals hired out of a field of nearly 100 – and the only female in the group.

“At first you know [we] all have a chip on our shoulder, I had something to prove and it definitely got easier as the years went by,” said Giordano on being a woman in a male dominate profession. “It definitely got easier as the years went by, it’s a lot more female friendly; but still only 13 percent of the entire nation is women in law enforcement, I think that’s pretty low.”

There are currently five female officers at the Junction City Police Department. For many of those women, there are unique challenges in their career choice.

“One of the biggest challenges is trying to balance work and home; this is very demanding emotionally, and patrol is very physical – you know, wearing all [this] equipment and the possibility of getting into a physical altercation – I think that you have to be both mentally and physically prepared,” said Giordano.

For Giordano, the challenges were two fold as a single mother.

“There were definitely sacrifices – I missed a few things with my daughter growing up and while I regret that, I also hope she knows that I did that for her,” said Giordano. “To be a strong woman you can actually have a career and be a mom, a good mom  at the same time, and I hopefully showed her that when you put your mind to something you can achieve that,” said Giordano.

In August 2016, she became the first female Lieutenant in Department history, and her goals don’t stop there.

“I definitely do want to possibly progress to being the Commander of Investigations – that’s always been a goal of mine,” said Giordano.

As for a run as Chief of Police in the future?

“Our Chief is doing a good job right now, I don’t see him leaving anytime soon; and I’m not sure if that’s something I would want to do, I know people have talked to me about that,” said Giordano.