MANATEE COUNTY (WSNN) – Over the years many women have fought to get to where we are today in this country. So, during National Women’s History month, SNN is spotlighting some trailblazers at the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office.
From alligator wranglers to SWAT team members to a captain, three women in the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office are representing the female leaders
“I started in this field 36 years ago,” MCSO District 3 Captain Sandra McIver said. “Back when being a female cop was not cool. It’s a very male-dominated world. I had to prove who I was.”
Captain Sandra McIver says she had to overcome many obstacles to get to where she is now, overseeing the nearly 80 deputies running district three.
“I can remember supervisors not wanting to help me in fights because they wanted to make sure that I can handle myself,” McIver said.
In many fields, women often have to work twice as hard to prove themselves.
“Unfortunately, when women are not as represented in a career, obviously everybody makes mistakes, but when a woman makes a mistake in a room of men, it’s a, ‘oh you know, it’s a woman, typical woman,'” Deputy Amy Holmes said. “But I didn’t want to be that person.”
Deputy Holmes became the first female SWAT operator or field team member in Manatee County two years ago.
“It wasn’t about, could I do it?” Deputy Holmes said. “It was about, are they going to accept me?”
And her team did.
Holmes says she’s past the point of proving herself, she’s just doing her job.
“I’m good at this, I’m going to have your back, I’m going to save your life if you need to, and you’re going to save my life,” Holmes said. “At the end of the day, I’m not just good for a girl, I’m good period.”
“I think it’s gotten better,” Deputy Amy Dunkum said. “We have more of a respect for each other now that I can do the same job as they can.”
Deputy Amy Dunkum says she loves what she does, working in the agriculture unit working with farmers and animals.
“Seeing all the exotic animals out there,” Dunkum said. “That’s been a real treat.”
And to all the girls listening…
“You can do anything that anybody else can do. So just keep on shooting for it.”
The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office currently has 1,255 employees total (full & part-time, sworn/ certified & civilian), and 445 of them are women.