A woman who didn't initially want to be a cop is now the highest-ranking female officer in the Surrey RCMP.
Carol Bradley has been promoted to superintendent, making her the highest-ranking woman in Surrey and one of just 26 female superintendents in the country's national police force.
As the new Operations Support Officer, Bradley will oversee members services, professional standards, training, media and a host of other areas within the RCMP.
It's a steep climb for a woman who didn't start out wanting to be a cop.
“I spent the summer of 1984 working as a Summer Student Constable with the RCMP at the UBC detachment," Bradley said. "I had never considered joining the RCMP – it was still considered a non-traditional career for women back then – but my experience working with the RCMP that summer was so positive that I decided to join. Two years later, I became a regular member constable.”
Since then, Bradley has served in federal, protective, general duty and traffic roles in four provinces. In addition to operational duties, she worked at the RCMP Depot in Regina for 15 years, where she held positions in cadet training, recruiting and staffing. In 2006 she was commissioned to the rank of inspector as the Officer in Charge of Applied Police Sciences at Depot. Bradley also held positions in the North West Region and B.C.’s South East District, followed by her most recent position as the Officer in Charge of the B.C. RCMP’s Respectful Workplace Program.
Bradley will be a key figure during the expected increase of the Surrey RCMP by 100 officers in the next year to 803 members.
“Supt. Bradley has extensive experience in training and staffing and excellent interpersonal skills, all of which will be a significant asset to this detachment as we continue to welcome more police officers to Surrey," said Surrey Officer-in-Charge Bill Fordy.