Lieutenant Lynn Koliboski

Lieutenant Lynn Koliboski - Aviation Lieutenant

Lieutenant Koliboski has been with the Mesa Police Department since 1989.  Her assignments include Patrol Officer, Community Relations Officer, Property Crimes Detective, Patrol Sergeant, Arizona POST COPS Grant Sergeant, Recruiting Sergeant, Property Crimes Sergeant, Patrol Lieutenant, Administration Lieutenant, and Aviation Lieutenant.  Below are some questions we asked Lieutenant Koliboski reference her experiences with the Mesa Police Department.    

• What made you want to get into a career in Law Enforcement?

Variety of opportunities and most importantly - Job Security.

• What concerns did your family and friends have with you becoming a police officer and did their concerns change after successful completion of your training?

Major concern was the "danger" however, once I completed the training it seems as if the opinions changed.

• Did you find it hard to compete with male officers during the academy and FTO program?

I didn't feel as if I was competing with anybody due to the fact that the standards were the same for everybody.  Provided that the scores were 70% or greater everybody had the same chance.  Women like everybody else need to prove themselves on the job.  Provided that you know how to do the job and handle your assigned tasks nobody will second-guess you or your abilities. 

• How do you balance the scale between family life and shift work?

I have a very supportive husband that has been willing to alter his work schedule in order for us to care for our children.

• Have you ever found yourself in a situation you could not handle because you were a female?

Not because of size or strength, but because the individual that I was dealing with preferred not to deal with me.

• Did you have any issues getting hired and how did you cope with the academy’s physical fitness requirements?

I had no problems during the hiring process.  As for the academy, I was able to complete all of the requirements however; I did have difficulties keeping the pace on the runs.  The pace that the class kept was much quicker than my stride and I often fell behind. 

• What do you feel you bring to Mesa PD because of being a female officer?

Women look at situations from a very different point of view.  We problem solve differently and we interact differently.  I still enjoy working with newer employees and that is why I continue to be a career advisor.  I would like to think of myself as a mentor for new female officers because I enjoy interacting with them and encouraging them with their career goals.

• Do you feel that Mesa PD is a diversified department and should the department seek harder to hire more female officers?

As the former Recruiting Sergeant I understand the difficulty of finding interested and qualified female candidates.  I believe that we are doing as much as the City of Mesa budget will allow us.

• Give one example of a situation where being a female officer helped defuse the situation?

Numerous domestic disputes.

• What is your most memorable experience as a police officer?

Too many to mention.  When I hired on with the department I did not think that I could "save the world", I was very realistic.  I set my sights on making at least one person happy per shift, whether it was assisting them on a call, giving directions or answering a question.  I still have that same theory today.

• Do you feel the department has been supportive in assisting you to reach your career goals?

Absolutely!

• What advise would you give to women who want to become police officers?

Go for it!

If you would like to contact Lieutenant Koliboski, please send her an e-mail at
Lynn.Koliboski@cityofmesa.org

For questions regarding the hiring or testing process, contact police.jobs@cityofmesa.org