Warsaw Police Department officer Paige Wood said she always knew she wanted to be in law enforcement.
She told 150 sophomore girls from Tippecanoe Valley High School and Warsaw Community High School at the Nontraditional Employment for Women Workshop Thursday that in elementary and middle school, every time she was asked what she wanted to do, she would always say a police officer or a dolphin trainer.
Then when she got to high school, she began to ask herself what she wanted to do after that, where she wanted to go and be. She said she was the class clown and goofed around a lot.
She needed a lot of structure in her life, so she thought the military would be perfect. She wanted to go to the Naval Academy and wanted to be a rescue swimmer. Throughout high school, she set herself up to go to the Naval Academy. The closer she got to entering the military, Wood found out she would have to wait a year to go to bootcamp. And for someone who needed structure, she knew staying at home for a year would be a bad decision.
She decided to take a college scholarship to attend the University of Findlay and play softball for a year. After the first year, she was injured and she had to come home to have surgery. She decided to drop out of school.

    Tonia Smith, Lutheran Health Network (C), instructs students on how to do CPR in a “try-it” activity during the Nontraditional Employment for Women Workshop Thursday. Photo by Jackie Gorski, Times-Union
  

She then enrolled at Grace College for a year while she recovered, then transfered to Indiana Wesleyan University and studied elementary and special education.
She then taught at Washington STEM Academy for four years. She loved the relationships she built with students and creating meaningful lessons.
Deep inside, Wood said she knew she still wanted to be a police officer. One day, a police officer doing security asked Wood if she ever considered being a police officer. She said that’s all she needed and she began the process of becoming a police officer. She had doubts of whether she’d be good enough. She took the process one step at a time and finally hired as a police officer at the Warsaw Police Department in 2020.
She said she found her why.
Wood said as a female police officer, there are unique challenges she faces. She talked about issues with uniforms for female officers. She’s had to order pants made for men and alter them because there’s not enough women in the field to justify making pants for women. She also wears a man’s vest because the women’s vest is extremely uncomfortable.
She also has faced sexism as a police officer.
“I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been called babe and sweetheart instead of officer or ma’am like my male counterparts,” Wood said.
Female officers are also told they’re more emotional and less physically capable.
New opportunities can be made if women continue to chase their dreams, Wood said.
August 10, 2020, was a big obstacle for Wood. She was involved in a violent assault at a laundromat. She had been at the police department for a few months and was still in field training with an officer who was her supervisor at the time.

    Students go through a “try-it” activity through Habitat for Humanity during the Nontraditional Employment for Women Workshop Thursday. Photo by Jackie Gorski, Times-Union
  

They got called to the laundromat because someone saw someone else put “boogers” on their laundry. The man, identified as Miguel Enrique Delfin Cruz, was not cooperative and Wood noticed Cruz had a firearm in his waistband. Wood knew Cruz wasn’t supposed to be in possession of the firearm, so when he went to get his laundry, Wood moved in to take his hands so the firearm could be removed safely.
As soon as Wood touched Cruz, she said the fight was on. What she didn’t know at that time was Cruz was high on methamphetamine and was trained in wrestling. Cruz went to take out his firearm, which was knocked onto the floor. During the struggle, Cruz and Wood fell on top of the firearm. Cruz was able to get hold of the firearm and said he’d shoot Wood.
Wood said, at that point, she was being used as a shield. An officer than tackled Cruz and Wood was able to break free.
Cruz was later found guilty.
Wood said the incident created an obstacle in her life. She began a journey with post-traumatic stress and had to do a lot of hard work to get back to her dream. She felt that obstacle might keep her from her dream and it was extremely difficult for Wood.
This obstacle created a new path and a new dream. For Wood, the experience she went through has led her to want to be a mental health advocate in the law enforcement field. She helped found Project Ebenezer, which helps first responders on their journey with post traumatic stress.
Wood said women belong in all careers and have value in them. There is a research study from Georgetown University which states the benefits of having women in policing include enhancing the public image of police and helping build better relationships with the community.
“They found we are as competent as our male counterparts in this profession and even excel in some areas,” Wood said. Physical strength was not shown to a be a factor to handle dangerous situations effectively.
“We belong.”
Wood encouraged those attending the workshop to pursue their dreams. She shared a roster to help the students do that and clear the path for the women coming behind them.
She told the students to learn people matter. The people that are in the students’ circle matter. If they are going to do big things, people need people around them who are going to support and encourage them.
Wood also encouraged the students to be brave. She also said adversity can be a strength. Wood told students to be curious, ask good questions and go find the answers. Wood also told the students to lead with purpose and passion.
Wood said nontraditional roles are within the students’ reach. The key is to put people in position using their strengths and not their gender.
She also told students to not be afraid to shift gears and to never give up on their dreams.