Friday, March 29, 2024

One and only: Brittnie Bell is curently the Granbury Police Department's only female officer

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With the Granbury Police Department moving into its new building, many of the 70 lockers in the men’s locker room will soon be full.

The women’s locker room, not so much.

That’s because the department currently has just one female officer: Brittnie Bell.

It’s not that female police officers are a new, rare species. They’re not, of course.

Statistically, though, they are greatly outnumbered by their male counterparts.

According to a July report by National Public Radio, women make up just 12% of the country’s law enforcement officers and 3% of police leadership.

Efforts are being made to change that.

The 30x30 initiative is a nationwide effort to make sure that women make up 30% of recruits in police training classes by 2030.

There is also the Women of Law Enforcement organization. It was created in 2013 by North Richland Hills Police Chief Jimmy Perdue and Lt. Carrie White, who is now the police chief in Forney.

In 2014, WOLE held its first annual conference, drawing women from law enforcement agencies across the country. Tickets were sold out for its 2022 conference, held in Fort Worth Sept. 20-23.

Bell, 35, will mark her first year with the Granbury PD this month. She came from Crowley, where there was only one other female officer. She applied with Granbury because she and her husband are building a house in the area and a shorter commute was appealing.

Granbury Police Chief Mitch Galvan said that Bell has been a “phenomenal” addition to the department.

“She’s really, really good,” he said. “Personality means everything in this job, competence means everything in this job, and she has both. She can take charge of any situation out there. She has the confidence to do it and she’s got the personality to handle any situation.”

Galvan indicated that Bell can be friendly and can present herself like “someone’s cousin, or something,” but she also has the ability to show authority — qualities that the hiring board looks for.

Galvan said, “It's tough…. You think about it, you got 45 sworn officers in this agency, and she's the lone female. It can be really easy for somebody to get a little intimidated by being that person, and she's not. She rolls with the punches and every female that we've ever had here has been that way.”

Not only is Bell able to roll with the punches when it comes to being one of the guys, but she has shown that she can receive and give punches when being attacked by a male suspect.

She said that while working at a previous job, she once fought with a male suspect for 15 minutes before backup arrived.

“When you’re put in those situations and you’re able to react and do what you need to do, you kind of feel proud of yourself afterwards, especially being a woman,” Bell said. “You’re kind of like, okay, I’m capable. I can do this. I handled that well.”

CHOSEN PATH

Bell was born in Fort Worth and graduated from James Martin High School in Arlington.

When she was a kid, she briefly considered being a masseuse on a cruise line but at the wise old age of nine decided that law enforcement was the right gig for her.

“I’m a very outgoing, personable person and I always wanted to make a difference, but I knew I couldn’t do it sitting behind a desk,” she said.

Bell’s mother was apprehensive and, even though Bell has had no problems in Granbury, public attitudes toward police officers have hardened during the decade she has worked in law enforcement.

Bell is no stranger to hard work. During her teen years, she earned her own money by working in restaurants.

Granbury’s pigtailed police officer has been surrounded by males all her life. For one thing, the self-professed tomboy grew up with two brothers. And her closest childhood friends were boys.

After graduating from high school, Bell worked for a time with her stepfather, who is a master welder. She learned things such as how to dig post holes and do metal pipe fencing.

“That was fun,” she said with a grin.

Bell began her law enforcement career with the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Department, working in corrections and then as a deputy. The agency sponsored her at the police academy.

“I kind of moved up pretty quick,” she said. “I got MHMR certified.”

While working in corrections, Bell would oftentimes be the only officer in a sea of male inmates with nothing but a line of tape between her and them.

Whenever an inmate made a request that Bell couldn’t fulfill, she explained the reasons why. She feels that by showing them that courtesy, they respected her and accepted the reasons for her refusal.

After about a year and a half, Bell applied with the Crowley PD because she wanted to work for a smaller agency.

Bell met her husband of eight years, Cody, when she worked for the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Department. He’s a sergeant in corrections and has been with the agency for 16 years.

Bell has a 13-year-old daughter, Peyton, from her first marriage. She and Cody have a three-year-old daughter, Valor.

Bell said that she loves working in Granbury, despite the whole starting over thing.

“When you move from one agency to another, you’ve already kind of established yourself. Everybody there knows who you are, knows your capabilities,” she said. “And so, when you come to a new department, it's like you're starting over, and you have to prove yourself to another group of people.”

She continued, “When you come in here, especially being a female, you want to let them know that you have capabilities, you’re an asset, you can do the physical things. (I) may not be as strong, but I work out. I’m fixing to start training for my next half marathon. I ran the Cowtown this February.”

Bell said that she especially feels the need to keep up physically because the Granbury Police Department “is a very, very fit department.”

“You’ve got to keep yourself on their level, but it’s been great,” she said. “They look at me as a total asset. It’s just a really well-rounded department and squared away.”

She added, “I haven’t had any issues. I don’t think I’ve ever really had any issues being a female. I’ve never really been treated differently or looked at differently.”

HOW TO APPLY

At the time that Galvan spoke to the Hood County News about Bell, the department had three openings but was in the process of interviewing applicants.

Galvan said that applicants must meet the state’s minimum qualifications to be licensed as a peace officer. Visit tcole.texas.gov, the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement’s website, for that information.

To be hired by the Granbury PD, applicants must pass a Police Officer Selection Test (POST) and a physical fitness assessment test on the Concept2 Rower at the 55 percentile according to their weight, age and gender. Those who do not pass the rowing test will not be allowed to continue in the application process.

The physical readiness score plays a role in an applicant’s overall ranking. Those meeting the minimum 55% physical readiness requirements will be less likely to successfully complete the hiring process due to an average low-ranking score.

Sgt. Cris Brichetto can help would-be applicants calculate their minimum standard for the rowing test. He can be reached at cbrichetto@granbury.org.

Applicants also must complete a personal history packet, a background investigation, a medical examination (including a drug screen), a psychological examination and a polygraph and must be interviewed by the department’s Oral Interview Board.

For anyone who might want to know, there are nine other lockers in the women’s locker room at the Granbury Police Department.