Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, February 28, 1991 TAG: 9103010338
SECTION: NEIGHBORS PAGE: E-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BETSY BIESENBACH/ SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES & WORLD-NEWS
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Although the town had several female applicants in the past, Vinton Police Chief Rick Foutz said Burton, who like many police officers, prefers to be identified by her initials, is "the first successful" hire.
Roanoke hired its first female police officer in 1942. Although women held the rank of patrolman, they weren't given the same duties as men until the 1970s, said Chief M. David Hooper.
Salem hired its first female police officer in 1976. The Roanoke County Sheriff's Department, which handled law enforcement duties before the county's police department was created in 1990, had female deputies prior to 1979.
One reason Vinton has been slow in hiring women is because turnover is low, Foutz said. Five or six years pass between openings, he added.
But Burton is no stranger to police work. She once thought of being a veterinarian, but after graduating from high school, she decided to enlist in the Air Force, following her father's career.
After completing basic training at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas, she had to choose between a job in administration or in law enforcement.
Burton, 27, said she could not imagine spending her life behind a desk, so she chose law enforcement.
"I'm really glad I did," she said. She attended the Air Force Police Academy and was an honor graduate.
She served in San Vito, Italy, and later Chanute, Ill., where she met and married her husband, Tim, also a military police officer. They were assigned to Guam together and later were transferred to Washington, D.C., where they decided to leave the Air Force.
"I enjoyed growing up in the military, but I didn't want it for my kids," said Burton, mother of two boys - Clint, 8, and Mike, 2.
"We wanted the kids to be able to have roots," she said. In 1989, they moved to Bedford County, where they have relatives.
Tim went to work installing pumps and wells, and Burton applied for positions with area police departments. Although she put in applications everywhere, "Vinton was my first choice," she said.
Vinton's police department has only 18 officers, and they are "very close-knit," she said.
The town is small enough that officers can get to each other quickly when necessary.
Burton was chosen from 38 applicants, Foutz said. Although some of the other applicants scored better on some of the physical tests, Burton missed only one question on the written test, did well on the psychological tests, and made a favorable impression on the review panel.
"She just finished tops," Foutz said.
Burton spent her first three months on the job training with another officer before going to the police academy, where she finished with the second-highest score in a class of 16.
Foutz said having a female officer is "a real asset" to the department and that Burton has already demonstrated that she is good with children. And he said he believes female crime victims might feel more comfortable talking to a woman.
At a trim 5 feet 5 inches, Burton said her presence is not particularly intimidating.
Although a male officer can do some things she can't because he is physically stronger, she said, there may be be situations that she is better equipped to handle.
The men on the force, Burton said, don't "treat me any different than anybody else."
As for the citizens, she said, Vinton is small enough that almost everyone knows who she is already. People have even stopped her in the grocery store to welcome her to town, where she plans to remain.
"The people here are wonderful," she said, adding that when she's not on duty, that she's just "a normal person with kids."
She says she spends a lot of time walking around the house, picking up toys.
by CNB