Peninsula boot camp to prepare women for police work builds more than muscle
SAN MATEO -- On Saturday morning, around 20 women became graduates of the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office Women's Boot Camp program.
It was a big moment for Nicole Jacobs.
"I feel empowered, I feel strong and ready to continue this journey," she said.
The stated goal of the program is to help prepare women for the fitness testing required to enter law enforcement. Sheriff Christina Corpus says it's bigger than that.
"This boot camp has really helped these women with the confidence that they could do it -- you could be a mom and a law enforcement officer," she said. "I think this program has really helped women believe in themselves."
Corpus started the program back in 2014. She says SMCSO has ended up hiring more than 25 program graduates over the years.
"Women are really important to have in law enforcement. We bring compassion, we bring a lot of strength. We need more women in law enforcement," she said.
The SMCSO has joined the 30x30 Initiative which aims to get police recruit classes to be 30 percent women by 2030.
"I'm really hopeful to see them join the sheriff's office," Corpus said.
Jacobs now feels like she's a step closer to being able to achieve her goal.
"I want to help people," she said. "This is the best thing I've ever decided to do."