GRAND HAVEN, Mich. — Grand Haven has a new public safety director; she is the first woman to get the promotion.
Nichole Hudson has 21 years of experience protecting Grand Haven.
"It means a lot. It just goes to show that hard work, dedication and commitment to the people in the community and the department have finally paid off after 21 years," Grand Haven Public Safety Director Hudson added.
The new public safety director started as a patrol cadet when she was 19. Throughout her years in the city, she climbed the ranks.
"Trying to work my way through college to figure out exactly what I wanted to do," Hudson said.
The Grand Valley State University grad explains that her inspiration for law enforcement came from her parents' work in helping people.
"That ability to help people in need was kind of ingrained in me from such a young age. Who doesn't want an exciting job? I am not the desk nine-to-five," Hudson explained.
On Wednesday, Grand Haven hosted a meet and greet for its newest director.
"I'm really super, super proud of her," longtime friend Laurie Mason said.
Mason has known Hudson since high school, when she managed one of her volleyball teams. She explains that Hudson's last name has changed, but her passion for law enforcement hasn't.
"I saw her picture. I went, 'Oh, my gosh! That's Junge. Wow.' So yeah, you're in good hands," Mason added.
The city manager explained that they looked at five candidates for this role. All but one were applicants from Michigan. However, the city, in the end, picked Hudson.
"She is just a phenomenal, compassionate, empathetic leader for the department. And it was a ... there was an overwhelming consensus on that fact," Grand Haven City Manager Ashley Latsch said.
Hudson isn't the only one to make a first in the city. Latsch is the first female city manager and was happy to welcome Hudson into the history books.
"She's so well deserving," Latsch added.
"It's about breaking barriers and just realizing that it doesn't matter who you are, as long as you work hard and dedicate yourself," Hudson said.
The role, which was all males before, didn't stop Hudson from seeking the position.
"I've seen the different side because being an instructor and a lot of male-dominated things at the department, so between control tactics instructor and a Taser instructor, those are all male-dominated positions with an agency. I have been in the mix of things starting from day one, training male officers on how to do hand-to-hand combat and things like that. So, I never looked at it as a gender role. It was just more or less making sure that I could do the job as equally if not better than they could," Hudson said.
She explained that she wants more women to apply to her department.
"Unfortunately, being public safety, we're also firefighters. And so there's always that physical component. And so our entry into the firefighting career, there's a physical agility test that always seems to weed out some of the candidates," Hudson said.
The public safety director explained that she would dedicate herself to the staff and the city.
"I just want to invest in our officers and make sure that they're getting the education and training that they want to be successful," Hudson added. "It's just finally nice to be in a position where I can make a change, improve what we're trying to have at our agency, and really invest in the people and the public."
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