LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Women are slowly breaking barriers when it comes to gender equality in the workforce.
However, law enforcement has long been a male-dominated field.
Kevin McMahill Clark County sheriff made a bold statement by hiring a pair of seasoned female public servants to complete his executive staff.
From an early age, assistant sheriffs Sasha Larkin and Yesenia Yatomi had a calling for law enforcement.
“I became a police officer because it’s the only thing I wanted to do with my life,” Larkin said.
“How many jobs can you say you never have the same day twice?” Yatomi expressed.
The trailblazers graduated from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department in 1999, from a class of 120 with just six women.
“We had to shave our heads just like the men, which equalized us all, honestly they didn’t treat us different,” Larkin shared.
In the more than two decades since their careers have run parallel, elevating from patrol to lieutenant, captain, and then deputy chief.
While they ascended from rank and file to the top brass in the department they also balanced motherhood.
“It is a push-pull and that is a challenge, but I don’t believe that is unique to me, and I don’t believe it’s specific to just women,” Yatomi said.
“I have two young daughters at home, and I know they’re watching,” Larkin added.
Just 15% of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department commissioned staff are women, which is slightly higher than the national average of 13%.
Both say recruiting new officers is a priority.
“15% is low, we’re going to fix that,” Yatomi said. “We want to recruit proportionately, we want to recruit people that believe in themselves that they can do this job so they represent us well in being in the business of people.”
Dealing with and protecting people has allowed them to be involved in every aspect of service from gangs and vice, counter-terrorism, human trafficking, homeland security, internal affairs, and tourist safety.
Now they’re stepping into their highest profile job yet, as the first two female assistant sheriffs in the history of Metro police.
“We’re going to get the job done, we are going to handle violent crime, we’re going to handle fatal accidents, and we are going to put measures in place to make sure we become the safest city in America,” Larkin added.
Together with assistant sheriff James Seebock and undersheriff Andrew Walsh, they’ll lead a workforce of nearly 6,000 strong.
Senior leaders believe the officers who protect must also be protected against mental, and emotional health problems, that come with the hazards of the job.
The assistant sheriffs both talked about a wellness bureau aimed to look after the physical safety and mental wellness of their officers.