West New York Police Officer Monica Perez knew that she wanted to be a detective the day she was sworn into the department three years ago.
“We asked her ‘Now that you are sworn in, what would you like to be?’ and she said ‘I want to be a detective,'” said Police Director Joseph Pelliccio recently.
Now Perez will get her chance. Perez was named the first female detective in West New York on Jan.7, which coincidentally was the three-year anniversary of the day she was hired.
Perez is happy to join the detective bureau.
“The police work itself I did enjoy,” said Perez, who has been a patrol officer for the past three years. “Detective work involves more writing and more thinking.”
Perez did not dream of becoming a police officer her whole life. Originally, she was studying criminal justice with hopes of entering law school. However, after an internship in a detention center, Perez began to meet different correctional police officers and other officers and thought she might like to do the same type of work.
Treated the same
Perez’s concern that she would be treated differently as a police officer because of her gender disappeared after she entered the police academy.
“I didn’t really know what I was getting myself into,” said Perez. “I knew it was going to be difficult. I knew you needed to be strong both physically and mentally, but I didn’t know how hard it was going to be.”
Perez said that she didn’t experience any different treatment on the job from the guys she works with or from the people she encounters on the streets.
“I don’t expect to be treated any differently,” said Perez, who said that she receives the same kinds of comments on the street that other officers get from people who are critical of police officers. “In the [police] academy, I wasn’t treated any differently,” she said. “It felt good to be treated like one of the guys.”
Captain Richard Antillos, the detective commander in West New York, said Perez shouldn’t receive any preferential treatment because she is a woman.
“She is not going to be treated any different,” he said. “She is a good police officer. That is why she is there.”
Some advantages
West New York now has two female police officers. Hilenne Chemas is the other. Chemas was named the department’s first officer of the month for her work done in April 2000.
Pelliccio said that the department needs more.
“Everywhere I’ve been,” Pelliccio said, “we have had female police officers, and they have fit in there.” Pelliccio has worked with the police departments in Bayonne and Jersey City and with the Hudson County Sheriffs department before working in West New York.
Antillos pointed out that having a female in the detective bureau will also bring some flexibility to the way that the department is able to handle their investigations.
“There are some investigative advantages to having a female detective,” said Antillos. “It is a benefit to the department to have [Perez] in an investigative field.” Antillos said that a female police officer will provide sensitivity when dealing with female crime victims.
“Sometimes female crime victims are more comfortable talking with another female than a male,” said Antillos, who has been with the department for 25 years and the detective commander for two years.
Public Safety Commissioner Sal Vega agrees that more female officers would be advantageous to the department. “Our department is moving in the right direction,” said Vega. “We want to continue to mirror the community that we live in.”
“As they come off the list we’ll hire them as long as they meet our qualifications,” said Pelliccio.
All police officers that apply for the West New York Police Department take a civil service test and are put on a list in an order depending on how they did on that test.