FOUNTAIN VALLEY

For women who want to be police officers, Fountain Valley is one of the departments leading the way. Out of 65 sworn officers, seven are women; they hold a variety of jobs, including hostage negotiator, canine officer and detective. Fountain Valley’s last officer of the year award was given to Sara Long for her achievements as a detective specializing in white-collar crimes. What is the department doing differently from others? Nothing, said Sgt. Jim Perry: “We don’t look specifically for women. We just hire who’s most qualified.”