AACC’s only female police officer first heard the call to enter law enforcement while working in a nail salon.

“I was holding hands with women,” Officer Janene Kerpelman said. “That connection opens a lot of doors. You get to talk one-on-one with people … and I found there was a big need for protection.”

Kerpelman, who started working at AACC as a public safety officer in 2011, was among the first batch of recruits to be sent to the Anne Arundel County Police Academy and return as police officers in 2014.

“It was a big transition, because I had a lot more responsibility now as a certified police officer,” Kerpelman said. “I was given a great privilege to have gone through this for the college for the first time. It was a good feeling.”

“I think she’s great,” Sean Kapfhammer, AACC’s chief of police, said. “She adds a lot to the department. She’s our community services officer, and she does a great job … keeping a good relationship with the campus community.”

Kerpelman is also AACC’s senior instructor for the Rape Aggression Defense self-defense program for women.

“When I came here and was introduced to the program, I knew right away that’s what I wanted to do, because I wanted more women to be able to defend themselves,” Kerpelman said. “It made me very happy.”

Clarification: Kerpelman is AACC’s only female police officer, but AACC also employs two female public safety officers. The two types of officer can be distinguished by the color of their uniforms: police, who are trained to carry guns, wear dark blue shirts; public safety officers wear light blue shirts.