HAMILTON COUNTY, Ind. — Of the 62 patrol deputies working at the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office (HCSO), three of them are women.
This includes Deputy Lydia Fairchok.
"Law enforcement is something I found out I couldn't not do," Fairchok said. "I really felt like it was a calling."
In her first policing job, Fairchok said she was the first female hire at the department.
Now, a few years later, she works at the HCSO.
"That was kind of 'coming home' for me," Fairchok said. "I had already worked here as a 911 dispatcher for a long time."
At the HCSO, she has many more male coworkers than female coworkers.
"That's pretty common in law enforcement agencies in general," Fairchok said.
In fact, Deputy Bryan Melton says there are 206 law enforcement employees working at the HCSO, including correction officers and patrol deputies.
Of those 206, 172 are men and 34 are women. This isn't a problem unique to the HCSO. At the Noblesville Police Department, for example, there are 99 officers. Eight of them are women, according to Lieutenant Bruce Barnes.
Fairchok said those women can be crucial in certain situations.
"Especially for female victims or for children who have been involved in scary incidents," Fairchok said. "It can be very comforting for them to have a woman on scene, especially domestic violence and sexual assault. We want everyone to be comfortable and to have what makes them feel most empowered to move forward with their investigation."
That's why the HSCO is hosting a Women in Law Enforcement Forum on National Police Woman Day.
It's scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 12 at 6:30 p.m. at the sheriff's department.
Anyone interested in attending can RSVP for free to Deputy Bryan Melton by calling (317) 776-4104 or by emailing bryan.melton@hamiltoncounty.in.gov.
Organizers said the event will be a question-and-answer style conversation, providing insight and perspective from current women in law enforcement. Plus, several speakers are scheduled to discuss hiring standards and academy expectations.
"We want to take the mystery out of what goes into getting hired in a law enforcement job," Fairchok said, "whether that be a patrol position or a corrections position."
Attendees of Tuesday's forum can also expect to learn more about the day-to-day responsibilities as a woman in law enforcement.
"We do work 12-hour shifts," Fairchok said. "That allows us to have a lot of time off, which is really good for both the mental health and the work/life balance."
She said that this schedule also takes pressure off female deputies who are concerned about raising a family while working in law enforcement.
Based on the shift schedule, deputies in Hamilton County typically only work about 15 days a month, according to Fairchok.
"For the most part, you can plan your life a year in advance with reasonable confidence," she said.
Regardless of the scene, Fairchok said she and her fellow deputies operate as a team.
"It is not a girl-power job," Fairchok said. "It is not a guy-power job. It's about being part of a team."
She also admitted answering the call isn't always easy.
"That might be the most stressful moment in someone's entire life," Fairchok said. "But for me, it might just be what I'm doing before dinner on that shift that day."
However, she said it's the people she works with and the people she serves who keep her going.
"There's always something worthwhile to be doing," Fairchok said. "There's always a way that you know you can be tangibly making an impact, and I really love that about it."
Fairchok currently calls Hamilton County home and said working in her own community makes her job feel more impactful.
"It's not just some random place that I go to just do a job," Fairchok said. "I am invested. This is where I live. This is where I intend to live, and this is where my roots are. This is where they've been for a very long time."