Women at the Cape Coral Police Department prove the jobs are not just for men

Lisa Lansky lives for forensics.

Her Cape Coral police lab is her second home and has been for two decades.

Lansky is a forensics specialist with the Cape Coral Police Department. Her job is to collect evidence, analyze crime scene samples and piece together what happened during a crime and how.

“I like mysteries so it’s more of the puzzle aspect that attracts me to the field,” Lansky said. “I like working with the evidence on the physical aspects of it and finding out scientifically what can be discovered about any crime.”

Her team is small, made up of only six people, but they make a big impact. And they’re mostly women.

In fact, lots of women go into crime scene investigations.

“Our forensics unit is civilian and because of that, I think that actually leads to a lot more women in this field where as with law-enforcement it is very male-dominated,” said Jaclyn Fordham, also a forensics specialist with Cape Coral police.

That’s where Detective Jazmin Correa comes in. Correa is a 16-year veteran of the department. During that time, she’s watched the number of women in crime scene investigation grow.

“It makes me feel good because I feel like yes everybody sees it as a man’s job but in reality, it’s a job,” Correa said. “I can do it. You can do it. Either one of you can do it. It’s just a matter of applying yourself.”

Women make up about 13% of the Cape Coral Police Department’s sworn police officers.