As the San Diego Police Department (SDPD) works to recruit more female police officers, two women on the force are setting unparalleled standards of courage.
Less than a year after getting shot in the line of duty, SDPD Officer Heather Seddon is now a recruit at the K-9 Academy.
Seddon and 22 month-old Aslan, a Belgian Malinois, are training to be a team, working on a number of drills, including searching vehicles and buildings.
Seddon says she's come a long way since May 17, 2015.
On that day, she faced the biggest test of her life.
During a shootout with a wanted suspect, a bullet pierced her neck, barely missing an artery, and lodged onto her shoulder blade.
"I don't know that I can describe in words exactly how I felt. It was pure survival," Seddon told NBC 7. “There are things in law enforcement that I wouldn't wish anybody else to see. My incident was one of those.”
The bullet that hit her came from another officer's gun.
"It was very important to my heart that he understood that it wasn't his fault. It wasn't something he could've changed. The circumstances were extremely unfortunate. It was important to me that he understood that I wasn't upset with him, and that we were able to create something some sort of friendship," she explained.
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Seddon said she will be forever grateful to the four fellow SDPD officers who risked their own lives during that active shooting, to rush in and help her.
“It's still very emotional for me because those officers saved my life,” said Seddon.
“They did what they were trained to do and everybody stepped up that day and they did things for me that they didn't have to do, and I will never be able to repay them for that. I will never be able to show them or tell them how much I truly appreciate what they did for me that day."
Seddon returned to light duty in September 2015, went back on full duty in December 2015, and was selected for the K-9 academy in February.
Even after months of painstaking recovery, Seddon continues to push her own boundaries.
She still has some pain and numbness in her face, neck and shoulder, but doesn't feel they will hamper her abilities to become a K-9 handler.
"l feel like my injury only postponed my being here. It wasn't something that I was going to allow to stop me," said Seddon. "It's definitely changed who I am as a person, but I think it's changed me for the better. I think it's helped me become a better officer."
Seddon remains undeterred from her goals.
"My injury would've retired a lot of people. I'm just excited to be back and to be doing something better," she said.
Before the shooting, Seddon worked as a patrol officer at the department's Northern Division, under SDPD Lt. Tina Williams.
"She [Williams] was an inspiration in everything,” Seddon said. “The way she carried herself; the way she dealt with her peers. Her professionalism and everything she did. It was something I held close to my heart. Something I really wanted to mirror myself after.”
Williams is now the commanding officer of SWAT and the only woman in its ranks.
Before leading the elite tactical unit, Williams served as a SWAT officer and sergeant for 14 straight years – something no other woman at SDPD has accomplished.
“I don't see myself as any different from anyone else. I think it's just taking that time. Like our promotional exams – do you have the time to dedicate to study, to prepare yourself for whatever position you're putting in for, and learning as much as you can about that position," Williams told NBC 7.
Williams credits SWAT's Special Response Team for her success.
"The accomplishment is only due to the training staff and our full time SWAT officers that trained me throughout all these years. So it was their expertise that helped developed my skills," she said.
In April, Williams and the SWAT training cadre will begin working with a new academy.
At both SWAT and K-9, the standards to get into the units are the same for men and women.
Williams joined the department 23 years ago.
"I wanted to help the public. It's a new adventure every day. You're outside, nothing is ever the same, and you learn something new every day," she said.
After graduating the academy, Williams was assigned to patrol duties at the department's Southeastern Division.
"During my watch, I was the only female,” she recalled. “You share a wall with the men's locker room, so you can hear them talking and laughing and you sit there by yourself and think 'OK, well maybe someday there will be more females to join the ranks of the department.'"
Williams said gender is not what is important on the force.
"I think it's the confidence you bring," said Williams. "Sometimes we don't bring that sheer power, physical presence. So, our ability to talk to people [is key]. And our ability to calm people down, calm the situation, is definitely a big asset in the field."
Seddon, a five-and-a-half year veteran of the department, feels it's important for women to help each other.
Like Williams, Seddon has built strong connections with other female officers, maintaining those bonds, even as they go on to different assignments.
"Some of my best friends are women I met on the department," said Seddon. "We created a bond where we motivated each other in our personal lives and at work."
Williams said becoming a police officer is a role that is taught. She said the police academy and the department's training programs will help candidates develop skills they may not think they have.
"If you're somebody that's at home, and you can multi-task and organize and retain information, you're bringing some of the skills we need as officers," said Williams. "If you have the ability to talk to people and communicate well, and to connect with people emotionally, that's another skill set that you can bring in.”
At the most recent SDPD academy, nearly half the graduates were women. That's the highest percentage ever in the department's history.
Currently, about 16 percent of the force are women.
