Officer Suzanne Gale

I have been with the Nantucket Police Department for over 32 years. I’ve seen a lot of changes over the years and a lot of people come and go from Nantucket.

I became a police officer because I really want to help people. My father was a Marine. My mother was a nurse and EMT. My family was always helping people in some way. I thought this was the best field for me: being on Nantucket and working as an officer. I also was able to work with the animals, another field I love doing.

I feel it is very hard for females to become a police officer. I think females have to work twice as hard to make it in this field. It’s nice to see that we have two sergeants now. I remember there was a time when there were no females in the department.

Having females on every shift helps. Some people just like talking to females better than males. Sometimes we just think outside the box, and we have different ideas on how to get things done. I came to Nantucket and fell in love with it. I love the community here.

I believe as females here in the police department, we work very well together. We do a lot of things together from time to time. I wish the best for female officers because soon I also will be retiring and leaving the department.