ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — A local officer, Katie Statler, has an important message for females in the Rockford area who aspire to become a police officer.

Officer Statler says she has wanted to become a cop her entire life, but now she sees a problem in her dream profession: a lack of women.

Females only make up about 10% of the Rockford Police Department. That’s a number Officer Statler is looking to change.

“We’re looking to match our community,” Officer Statler explained. She acknowledged it’s not always an easy job, but encourages anyone who wants to do it to take the big leap.

“If you have that passion and drive, you can to have that. You can do it. We’ll train you and give you the tools to do it. We don’t expect you to come on and know what you’re doing [immediately] because none of us did,” she added.

Each recruit will go through 41 weeks of training. The Rockford Police Department is accepting applications through the end of March.

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