On March 21, 1981, I joined 27 graduates as we passed the final inspection before being assigned to patrol the streets of Las Vegas. The Las Vegas Sun newspaper reported, “The graduating class was especially significant to Metro officials, since it includes the first new woman police officer since 1974. Four women entered the academy class in October, but Debra Gauthier was the only one who completed the grueling course”.
“Attorney General Richard Bryan, guest speaker at the morning graduation ceremony, told the new officers and others that ‘in nearly every city across this country, the number of violent crimes jumped sharply in 1980. Clark County Sheriff John McCarthy also spoke to the graduates, all of whom had completed the 16-week training course and were about to be assigned to a number of Southern Nevada law enforcement agencies. McCarthy told them their work just the beginning.