First, only female officer polices Butler city
Sgt. Cheryl Litz is the first and only female officer working for Butler City Police Department.
“I have a lot of firsts in my life,” she said. “I was the first female officer in Tarentum, too ... I was always told, ‘girls can’t do that’ and I always wanted to prove them wrong.”
Previously a firefighter and paramedic, Litz said she wanted to be in another form of public service. At age 28, she began the process of becoming an officer while attending school part time. She has been a sergeant for two years of her 25 years with Butler city.
“I wanted to get into something else to help people,” she said. “I love to know someone’s been helped.”
Between fighting fires and protecting the streets, Litz said she’s always been in male-dominated careers.
“This is mostly a man’s thing,” she said of police work. “Being a firefighter, I’ve always worked in a man’s field. (But) I’m stubborn, nothing’s ever stopped me before.”
According to Litz, when she was working toward becoming an officer, there was a general belief that women shouldn’t be in law enforcement.
“It’s easier now. Society realizes that women are needed,” she said. “It’s good to have women in this field, especially when it comes to arresting females or searching female prisoners. People are more willing to allow women in.”
According to a study by the National Institute of Justice, women make up 13% of the total law enforcement officers in the nation. Chief Robert O’Neill of the Butler Bureau of Police said there is often a lack of female officers in smaller communities.
“It depends on where you’re at. I’ve worked with departments with multiple women. If you look nationally, women representation is often in densely populated, urban departments like City of Pittsburgh, state police or Philadelphia because there’s lots of spots with job options they would want,” O’Neill said.
Sgt. Cheryl Cranmer of Penn Township Police Department has held her position since 2005. When she started out on the force, she said, women were a novelty. Now, most women wanting to go into law enforcement don’t consider the different career choices in this line of work.
“There’s quite a few women in probation ... you can work for the sheriff’s office,” she said. “People start out thinking they’re going to be police officers, not realizing there are different avenues they can take.”
O’Neill said women have certain skills that help them in the field of police work.
“Women do everything men do. I think you have to be well-rounded as an officer now. Women seem to have the capability of speaking with people and giving people patience and bringing understanding to their situations, especially when there’s a young child involved,” he said.
Litz brings a unique background and skill set to the city police, O’Neill added.
“She’s an excellent officer with an extensive knowledge of the city. She has a good way of speaking with people without creating more stress. She’s good at de-escalating, which is how it needs to be,” he said. “She has a very interesting background due to medical expertise. She does our CPR and first aid training, which is nice to have someone like that in-house.”
To become a sergeant in the department, Litz said an officer has to have years of experience to test for the position.
“I oversee all the calls. We answer the same calls as the guys do,” she said of her job. “I have the respect of my peers, they understand I have a job to do. For all the years I have in here, they know I back people up and that I do my job and I’m able to keep up with the men.”
Litz said the best part of her job is the help she provides the community.
“It’s the satisfaction of knowing someone was helped, even if it’s just helping change a tire,” she said. “I love seeing someone and hearing them say ‘I’ve been clean for so long, thanks for arresting me.’ It’s surprising how many thank you for arresting them.”
For the younger generation dreaming of becoming a police officer, Litz said focus on your education. It helps your chances of becoming an officer, she said.
“I tell young kids, especially girls, to do good in school. It helps in any field you want to get into now,” she said. “And keep your head up and don’t stop.”
