A record number of Chula Vista Police officers were promoted Friday, which included a record number of women.
“I’m still a little shocked, but it feels great. It feels fantastic,” beamed newly minted Captain Miriam Foxx.
Capt. Foxx was one of five women to be promoted by Police Chief Roxana Kennedy. Foxx is only the second woman to make Captain in Chula Vista. Kennedy was the first.
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“It’s nice to see someone in that role that you can look up to, that you can model too,” said Foxx.
Chief Kennedy is the first woman to serve as Chula Vista’s Police Chief. Women make up about 20% of Chula Vista’s police force. The national average is only 13%.
“Definitely worked hard to get to where I was at,” said Police Agent Briley Stone, who was one of the five promoted Friday. Agent Stone said she looked up to Kennedy and Foxx.
“I’ve had both of them as role models to get me to where I’m at,” smiled Stone. “They’re my partners. They’re my friends. They’re my coworkers.”
Agent Stone and Capt. Foxx join a growing rank of female police officers setting the examples for younger women and girls.
“If it’s a little girl, they can go, ‘Hey, I can do it. I can be that. I can be a police officer,’” said Foxx.
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“It’s just something that they can aspire to,” she continued. “We’re diverse and we accept everyone and we’re hiring.”
The City of Chula Vista is also the first in the state to have a woman as Mayor, City Manager, and Chief of Police at the same time.
