Breaking Barriers

Kate Crawford sits in a black car, the kind that intimidates some people, steered by those individuals dressed in black and blue, armed with weapons sometimes thought of as bad but used for good. She sits back confidently within her seat, the car clean, scented with Febreze through the air conditioning. The magnetic walkie talkie clings loudly against the car console as she sets it down after speaking. Not one bit of nerve shows, her sunglasses dark makes her appear fierce. The radio plays the latest hits as she listens to the quick calls over the walkie-talkie, searches plate numbers, and surveys the road.

Crawford slips her black gloves on, waiting patiently for her backup, anxiously anticipating when she can make her move. She sits straight up, strong like a tree trunk, sure of herself, always contemplating what the criminal will do. As she gazes towards the street, her black shades block any sunlight that might appear. Her backup pulls up.

Out of the car and moving effortlessly, she walks toward a potential arrest, giving her backup only a few seconds to slip his own gloves on, and move. She clearly takes the lead. The traffic slows, people gawking out their window, hoping to catch a glimpse of action, wondering who, what, and how? The case: Female who missed a court date regarding theft. A warrant suggests potential arrest.

In a calm and collected manner, Crawford asks questions. Avoiding any sort of reaction, she remains composed. The process feels long, the suspect compliant. Crawford grabs her cuffs tightening them on and leads the woman toward the front of the shiny black car. Her partner watches the arrestee as Crawford opens the passenger door reaching for a lighter. Crawford lights the cigarette of the arrestee, keeping her submissive.

Crawford constantly puts herself in stressful situations, always thinking of the safety of the community.

She is muscular, tough, and all business when it comes to the job. Just two and half years in, she does a little bit of everything–the first female to make the Springfield Police Department’s (SPD) SWAT team, the medic for the SWAT team, an explosive breacher for the SWAT team, and firearms instructor. She’s always looking to support the team and take on new opportunities.

“You set yourself up for potential rejection or failure, or put yourself in a situation that pushes you outside your comfort zone,” says Crawford. “And for everybody, that’s different as to what that is. But ultimately, the more times you choose that, and whether you fail or you succeed, you’re still learning from all those opportunities.”

Fellow SPD officer Matt Newton says, “she’s a fast learner. She had exceptional skills coming into the job and did well through her initial training. There’s very little negative about her… She brings a lot to the table. She has a strong skill set… and it was noticeable from the start that she was going to excel.”

In the fall of 2016, Crawford earned a psychology degree from Oregon State University, but was unsure of what she wanted to do next. “I was really interested in the medical field,” she says. “That’s why I decided to get my EMT license. [The] fire department was actually the first job that I applied for and I happened to get it. So I got in there, and I really enjoyed my time there. I loved the people that I worked with. It was a really great experience but I found myself just being more and more drawn to the police side. I was always super interested and anytime we’d go on calls with the police, like what they were doing, and it’s a little bit more fast paced, I’d say the police side.”

Police work involves fast-paced multitasking, questioning people, “conducting several interviews” throughout a shift. It involves much more than just physically doing the job. It requires a strong mentality. “It’s not just a 9 to 5 office job where you go and you clock in and you do your eight hours of work, and you clock out,” says Crawford Police officers can work 12 hours or more every shift and they must be ready for whatever comes at them.

“I think that it takes a special kind of person to do any kind of service job, whether that’s police, firefighter, even nurses, doctors and things like that,” says Crawford. “Anything where you’re putting yourself in constant stressful situations and working really long hours and doing shift work.”

People look at the intimidating car as it passes, some giving a second somewhat unnerving glance. Children wave with a smile, others put their heads down and walk the other way. Crawford remains cool as the people around her seem to move in slow motion. They don’t want to do anything wrong, the streets move as if they were in slow motion. Yet, she’s always searching.

Crawford likes to keep herself busy. She strives to become better and isn’t satisfied with being ordinary. “I try to always be working towards something, even something small,” she says. “It doesn’t have to be big.”

Of course Crawford’s plate is full most of the time, but she has learned to focus on the positive. Through all she accomplishes, her motivation pushes her through. “I think what motivates me, it’s a combination of a lot of things, reminding myself why I’m here and the things that I do love… the opportunities that it gives me,” says Crawford.

Doing what she loves outweighs the obstacles the job poses. Living up to your own dream may not always be ideal but Crawford appreciates that she has her parents’ support above all else. “I know that they would never admit this, but I’m sure in some respects they would wish for me to be in a job where I don’t necessarily put my life on the line every day, but at the same time, I know that they know that this is what makes me happy,” says Crawford.