Sergeant Cheri Silveira has been working at the University Police Department for sixteen years and has been in Law Enforcement for twenty-two years, she is currently the only female Sergeant in Turlock. She began as a volunteer at the Turlock Police Department where she was then hired as a cadet,which led her to later being a 911 dispatcher, a task, “I will never let myself forget how to do.”
But Sergeant Silveira did not always see herself going in to law enforcement, in fact while in college to study to become a Veterinarian, she decided that it wasn’t what she loved. But college proved to be the place to discover what she was passionate about, and guided her to the path of criminal justice.
Sergeant Silveira has worked extraordinarily hard in her career to get where she has gotten, and while it is rare to see women in higher positions of authority in law enforcement, Sergeant Silveira does not take her strides in her career lightly, “When I was younger, I always had something to prove. It started in high school…And it continues after high school. This profession is male dominated and probably always will be. It’s not a bad thing….But we also need strong females who work well with the males. It’s a yin/yang thing. We need each other’s insight.”
In fact, former Department chair of Criminal Justice Dr. Phyllis Gerstenfeld says, “a lot of agencies are trying to get more women into them, for example in the Fall San Francisco Police Department did recruitment on campus, and who they were especially looking for was latina women.”
In 2016 the FBI conducted a nationwide poll of population group percent male and female,these percentages reflect agencies at the federal, state, and local level. The percent of law enforcement employees that are male 73.5%, females in the same category were 26.5%, but the percentages for female officers was only 12.1%. While it still seems like women are underrepresented in law enforcement, it is gradually increasing.
Sergeant Silveira also credits the rise to culture changing, “The culture has been changing for decades. If you look at the statistics of who wants to be in LE [law enforcement], it’s mostly male.There aren’t a high number of females but, that is increasing.”
Dr. Gerstenfeld believes there are some stigmas that do hold women back from trying to join a “man’s club,” but she has noticed that more than half of the current criminal justice majors are women. This does not necessarily mean more women in law enforcement, the criminal justice major is vast and is not only excluded to careers in law enforcement.
Dr. Blake Wilson, who teaches Criminal Legal Studies, says, “ The women who are interested in criminal justice are looking for careers outside the traditional agencies, they are interested in law school, becoming a lawyer.”
Sergeant Silveira stresses the importance of being more than just a gender issue it requires the physical and mental capabilities to succeed in law enforcement, “For me, it’s not about gender. It’s about accomplishment, intelligence, strong moral/ethical values, leadership etc. I wouldn’t want a female just because she was a female. I want the most qualified “person”.”
Dr. Gerstenfeld and Dr. Wilson say the importance to a great individual for criminal justice relies on their communication skills, it is one of the most sought out skills by agencies and law schools.
Sergeant Silveira credits the success of the University Police Department to her officers, she believes that by leading by example unifes the whole department, she also says a big part of creating a good working environment is by, “Supporting them as people AND officers. They are people first. Being an officer is just their job.” The ultimate goal for Sergeant Silveira is about, “Being consistent and caring about others. We genuinely care about our students/staff and faculty. Sometimes the love is tough, but it’s still love. We want our students to succeed and we want to have the best relationships possible with other campus departments.”
