Kelly Grant
Connecticut State Trooper First Class, Public Information Officer, Recruiter, Background Investigator
Combating Stereotypes
I am a completely different face than what the state police has had representing them before; I’m female, I’m not a trooper of rank, and I’m black. There are definitely people in my world who still carry around stereotypes and old school beliefs. I rely on my confidence and competence to combat those ideas. Really how else can you come at them? I like representing the state police because I get to give other people a different perspective on Connecticut State Troopers and law enforcement. I am using my different look to my advantage. We may not be able to change people at their core, but we can certainly work to show them a different perspective.
“After I spent some time fighting it, I finally realized that I need to follow this path and really make it my own.”
Finding the right path
For me, being driven means following a path you know is right for you, even if it isn’t what you originally thought you’d do, and making it your own. I never thought I’d ever be a state trooper – and definitely not a Public Information Officer – but that is where my path has led and I embrace that. In the beginning I wanted to be a detective.
The lieutenant who interviewed me for the detective job – and sent me the rejection letter – later had the opportunity to offer me the position as a resident trooper, which is the role of a state trooper in a town that doesn’t have established law enforcement. I accepted the position, but then about three months later was asked if I wanted to become part of the governor’s security detail for Jodi Rell. I did that job for five years before I had a massive bilateral pulmonary embolism.
When I was leaving the hospital, the state police told me they were going to transfer me into the public information office (PIO). I never in a million years saw myself as a public information officer. I always planned to come to the state police for major crime. I found out later that the lieutenant who turned down my application for major crime was, in part, the reason why I ended up on the governor’s detail and ultimately the PIO because he saw something in me that I did not see in myself. Apparently I wasn’t the right person for detective work, but realized there was a bigger way that I could have an impact at the agency. So, the path that I had set myself on was now changing direction. After I spent some time fighting it, I finally realized that I need to follow this path and really make it my own.
What I also discovered was that, thanks to my five years of experience working the security detail for Governor Jodi Rell, I had learned a lot that I could now apply to my position in the PIO. I was watching her with the media and with the public, listened to her deliver speeches, and saw how she prepared. She was a genuine real person, would say “Hi,” take pictures with the public, and have a real conversation with them. I think of her as a role model because she prepared me for public speaking and dealing with the media.
Developing Confidence
In high school I was very shy, very quiet. Same thing in college. I never thought of becoming a state trooper and certainly I never saw myself becoming a Public Information Officer. So to say I’m very confident or competent or both means a lot now because I wasn’t back then.
After about five years of training under the lieutenant who ran the PIO, I took over and was now solely responsible for dealing with the media, dealing with the public, dealing with the troopers. Of course my confidence wasn’t that great because for the five years before that I had someone above me who would handle everything. It was a little scary and a little intimidating. I didn’t want to end up putting my name on something incorrect that goes out to the public. While facing a lot of scrutiny from my superiors, the media, and the public, summoning the courage within me to become a voice for not only the Connecticut State Police, but for myself, was a challenge, but one that certainly built up my confidence.
Being a woman in a man’s world
It’s so hard to recruit women for the state police because we are very different than a local police department. For instance, a local police department in Connecticut is going to be smaller, and more familiar. A lot of the women become police officers in communities that they are more comfortable in because they may be familiar with the people, the businesses, the streets, and the area. And they may already know some of the other officers.
We do a lot of recruiting to get more women to join the state police, but many choose other agencies or careers, and when I ask why they wouldn’t take the state police test, they will say things like, “Oh no, being a state trooper is scary!” because they are concerned about working on the highway. I always emphasize that every recruit leaves the state police academy fully trained and when they graduate, they’ll have all the confidence in the world. I didn’t realize that I could do all the things that I can do now, but thanks to the intense academy training, I know I am skilled, and that knowledge builds confidence.
Kelly Grant
Connecticut State Trooper First Class, Public Information Officer, Recruiter, Background Investigator
Combating Stereotypes
I am a completely different face than what the state police has had representing them before; I’m female, I’m not a trooper of rank, and I’m black. There are definitely people in my world who still carry around stereotypes and old school beliefs. I rely on my confidence and competence to combat those ideas. Really how else can you come at them? I like representing the state police because I get to give other people a different perspective on Connecticut State Troopers and law enforcement. I am using my different look to my advantage. We may not be able to change people at their core, but we can certainly work to show them a different perspective.
“After I spent some time fighting it, I finally realized that I need to follow this path and really make it my own.”
Finding the right path
For me, being driven means following a path you know is right for you, even if it isn’t what you originally thought you’d do, and making it your own. I never thought I’d ever be a state trooper – and definitely not a Public Information Officer – but that is where my path has led and I embrace that. In the beginning I wanted to be a detective.
The lieutenant who interviewed me for the detective job – and sent me the rejection letter – later had the opportunity to offer me the position as a resident trooper, which is the role of a state trooper in a town that doesn’t have established law enforcement. I accepted the position, but then about three months later was asked if I wanted to become part of the governor’s security detail for Jodi Rell. I did that job for five years before I had a massive bilateral pulmonary embolism.
When I was leaving the hospital, the state police told me they were going to transfer me into the public information office (PIO). I never in a million years saw myself as a public information officer. I always planned to come to the state police for major crime. I found out later that the lieutenant who turned down my application for major crime was, in part, the reason why I ended up on the governor’s detail and ultimately the PIO because he saw something in me that I did not see in myself. Apparently I wasn’t the right person for detective work, but realized there was a bigger way that I could have an impact at the agency. So, the path that I had set myself on was now changing direction. After I spent some time fighting it, I finally realized that I need to follow this path and really make it my own.
What I also discovered was that, thanks to my five years of experience working the security detail for Governor Jodi Rell, I had learned a lot that I could now apply to my position in the PIO. I was watching her with the media and with the public, listened to her deliver speeches, and saw how she prepared. She was a genuine real person, would say “Hi,” take pictures with the public, and have a real conversation with them. I think of her as a role model because she prepared me for public speaking and dealing with the media.
Developing Confidence
In high school I was very shy, very quiet. Same thing in college. I never thought of becoming a state trooper and certainly I never saw myself becoming a Public Information Officer. So to say I’m very confident or competent or both means a lot now because I wasn’t back then.
After about five years of training under the lieutenant who ran the PIO, I took over and was now solely responsible for dealing with the media, dealing with the public, dealing with the troopers. Of course my confidence wasn’t that great because for the five years before that I had someone above me who would handle everything. It was a little scary and a little intimidating. I didn’t want to end up putting my name on something incorrect that goes out to the public. While facing a lot of scrutiny from my superiors, the media, and the public, summoning the courage within me to become a voice for not only the Connecticut State Police, but for myself, was a challenge, but one that certainly built up my confidence.
Being a woman in a man’s world
It’s so hard to recruit women for the state police because we are very different than a local police department. For instance, a local police department in Connecticut is going to be smaller, and more familiar. A lot of the women become police officers in communities that they are more comfortable in because they may be familiar with the people, the businesses, the streets, and the area. And they may already know some of the other officers.
We do a lot of recruiting to get more women to join the state police, but many choose other agencies or careers, and when I ask why they wouldn’t take the state police test, they will say things like, “Oh no, being a state trooper is scary!” because they are concerned about working on the highway. I always emphasize that every recruit leaves the state police academy fully trained and when they graduate, they’ll have all the confidence in the world. I didn’t realize that I could do all the things that I can do now, but thanks to the intense academy training, I know I am skilled, and that knowledge builds confidence.
After receiving her bachelor’s degree in Sociology from the University of Connecticut in 1994, Kelly became a police officer and detective with the Naugatuck, Connecticut Police Department. She worked there for 5 years before becoming a State Trooper for the Connecticut State Police. Over the 17 years she has worked there, she has had several assignments, including Resident State Trooper, the Governor’s detail, an instructor at the training academy, and background investigator. Since 2009 she has been a Public Information Officer, writing press releases, speaking to the press, and informing the public through television interviews. She also works in recruitment for the Connecticut State Police, particularly focusing on women candidates. Kelly is currently working on her master’s degree in Strategic Communications and Public Relations at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut.
After receiving her bachelor’s degree in Sociology from the University of Connecticut in 1994, Kelly became a police officer and detective with the Naugatuck, Connecticut Police Department. She worked there for 5 years before becoming a State Trooper for the Connecticut State Police. Over the 17 years she has worked there, she has had several assignments, including Resident State Trooper, the Governor’s detail, an instructor at the training academy, and background investigator. Since 2009 she has been a Public Information Officer, writing press releases, speaking to the press, and informing the public through television interviews. She also works in recruitment for the Connecticut State Police, particularly focusing on women candidates. Kelly is currently working on her master’s degree in Strategic Communications and Public Relations at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut.