Police department welcomes first female motorcycle officer

GLENDALE, Ariz. (KPHO/Gray News) - History is being made at a police department in Arizona.

The Glendale Police Department welcomed its first-ever female motorcycle officer, Officer Arendt.

“It is something new; it’s something I’ve always wanted to do. I’m able to enforce traffic and keep the roads safer,” Arendt said. “Since I first started, I was interested in traffic. I rode with the traffic unit for the first two weeks, and that’s what got me interested. As time went on, I was ready to try out the motor.”

Arendt says that pressure comes with the new role.

“Just because you don’t want to fail. Other females have tried to go through the school, and they haven’t made it, so it was a lot of pressure for me to succeed,” she said.

The new motorcycle officer said her one of her biggest challenges has been getting used to her new ride.

“This is a beast and it’s heavy. It’s very challenging to maneuver through traffic and even to simply pull someone over. It’s a lot of buttons and a lot of maneuvering,” Arendt said. “You got to be paying attention to everything. When you’re passing cars, you got to make sure they don’t cut you off and you got to be ready to stop quickly.”

Now, she’s inspiring the next generation of officers.

“I definitely think anyone could do this, whether you’re a female or male. I would love to be a role model for anybody that would want to do this in the future,” she said. “If I can do this, you can do this. I’m not the biggest or strongest but I still made it.”

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