July marks the 50th anniversary of women joining the ranks of state police.

“I think it’s a huge milestone,” said Andrea Jacobs, a state trooper at Milton. “I can’t imagine not having women in state police. It’s great to be part of it.”

Jacobs, who enlisted as a state trooper in 2014, is the daughter of a state policeman.

She said she was looking for a career in public service and in work that could help people.

Trooper Andrea Jacobs. PHOTO PROVIDED

She served as a member of a patrol unit for three years and a criminal investigator for five years before transitioning to her present job as community service officer.

State Trooper Lauren Lesher, stationed with Troop F Montoursville, said she’s thankful for the first women who joined the state police ranks.

“I take much pride in their courage and drive to fight through the adversity that came with their decision,” she said. “Without them paving the road, I would not be able to be where I am today.”

After graduating from the state police academy in 2016, she began her career in patrol at Troop F Lamar. She later transferred to Montoursville to become the community service officer/public information officer as well as the animal cruelty liaison for Troop F.

Although times have changed for women in the workplace over the years, both agreed that not everyone is completely comfortable with the idea of women in law enforcement.

“It was certainly a bit different. Not because of the people I work with, but there are still people in the public who view you differently as a female,” she said. “It is definitely noticeable between the different generations. I found in patrol that I was often referred to as ‘honey’ or ‘sweetie’ while my male partner was referred to as ‘sir.'”

Jacobs said she hasn’t escaped being referred to by those words either.

“Out of our class, there was only, I believe, nine females in a class of 100, so that definitely set the mood of what to expect,” she said. “I was stationed at Coudersport and was the first female there in about 20 years. I got comments from the community such as ‘Oh … you are a girl trooper.'”

She said she feels that women belong in law enforcement. She also noted that women bring a different perspective to the job.

“Being a female helps me out in some instances with people talking to me,” she said. “They often feel more comfortable talking to a woman.”

Over the years, she’s learned through her job that everyone is different.

“You have to be mindful that not everyone has had the same experiences as you,” she said.

Lesher said, “I’ve learned that everyone has bad moments, but that doesn’t always mean they are a bad person.”