Position: Police Officer with the Rutgers University Police Department
Length of Service: Since January 2007
Residence: Basking Ridge
The only girl: She may be a police officer, but Emma O’Flanagan is not afraid to break the rules. The 23-year-old doesn’t let anything, especially her gender, stop her from achieving her goals. O’Flanagan is the only female Rutgers University Police Department patrol officer who works the 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. night shift, but she wouldn’t have it any other way. “I’m used to being the only girl,” O’Flanagan said. “I know how to deal with it.”
It’s a dirty job: Being a woman in a field that is still predominately male doesn’t faze O’Flanagan. She was the only female EMT at her high school; one of only three women in her class at the Somerset County Police Academy; and the first female Community Service Officer (CSO), part of the trained student security forces at Rutgers, to work the cones at sports events. “I was throwing big, dirty cones out of the back of a truck,” O’Flanagan said. “It was traditionally a dirty boy job, but I fought to get that job. My supervisors looked at me and said, ‘She’s a tough girl.’”
A learning experience: O’Flanagan threw herself into her job as a CSO while she was a student at Rutgers. She credits the program with helping her achieve her dream of becoming a police officer. O’Flanagan, who graduated with a degree in criminal justice in 2006, applied to the Rutgers University Police Department (RUPD) and was hired two weeks after she graduated. “I barely retired the CSO uniform before I got into the RUPD uniform,” O’Flanagan said. “People who made the decisions saw my work ethic. I volunteered for every shift because I wanted to soak up everything I could.”
Not as easy as it looks: After she was hired, O’Flanagan began her training at the Somerset County Police Academy, one of the toughest academies in New Jersey. “It was a lot like military training; they even made me cut all my hair off,” O’Flanagan said. “It was tough keeping everything together, but it was also rewarding. I left a different person.” All of her hard work paid off, and in January 2007 O’Flanagan became an officer.
Future plans: O’Flanagan wouldn’t mind staying with the RUPD for the rest of her career, but she is open to any new opportunities that may come up in the future. She also hopes to return to Rutgers as a student to earn a master's degree in psychology. “Nothing is ever good enough for me,” said O’Flanagan. “I always want more.”
Keep it moving: When she isn’t patrolling the campuses at night, O’Flanagan likes to stay active. She loves to hike and swims and works out regularly. O’Flanagan also likes to exercise her mind. She reads up to five books at one time. “I get bored easily,” O’Flanagan said. “I read everything from Michael Crichton to philosophy.” O’Flanagan also likes to volunteer, although her schedule doesn’t allow her time to do as much as she’d like. She hopes to start mentoring as soon as she can.
Role model: O’Flanagan’s loftiest goal is to be an inspiration to other young people hoping to get into law enforcement. “I love when kids see me and I watch their mental processes,” O’Flanagan said. “They recognize me as a girl, and it changes their whole perception about what is possible. I’m kind of a symbol that they can do anything they want.”