Female officers get specialized training
Female law enforcement officers from agencies around the state gathered last week at Northwest Shoals Community College in Muscle Shoals to receive specialized training.
Led by NWSCC Officer Bobby Inman, the course offered a refresher on basic skills to tactics that can benefit female officers when they are faced with a suspect or situation that might be difficult for someone of smaller stature.
“In my department, I’m the only female on patrol, and when I come across a problem, I don’t have anyone to ask who has dealt with it firsthand,” Talladega County Sheriff’s Deputy Emma Robinson said. “Having women from all these departments … sharing experiences and issues and learning tools and techniques makes me more confident.”
Robinson’s sentiment was shared by the other officers from the 11 departments represented at the course.
Serenity Beckman, an officer with Moody Police Department, said in her department there is one more female, but she is the only female on patrol.
Creating a network of female officers with whom to connect and learn techniques specific to female officers, she said, gives her confidence.
Inman said the training is just one of several which will be offered at NWSCC this year.
A total of 47 different training courses attended by 744 officers from as far away as Alaska took place in 2025 at NWSCC.
The female officer training is meant to assist the attendees with training they sometimes feel they lack, Inman said. He said 16.8% of all law enforcement officers in the United States are female now.
“These ladies are amazing,” he added. Inman said the training included defensive tactics and constitutional use of force — female officers can escalate to force more quickly than their male counterparts — handcuffing, takedown maneuvers using pressure points to correctly gain control of a larger person, baton training, tourniquet application, driving and more.
On the first day of the seminar, the attendees practiced driving into a scene and took turns rescuing a downed officer in the form of an 85-pound dummy.
