New York State Police are working to get more diversity among the ranks, including more women.

Jennifer Peters heads out for her shift as a state trooper at about 5 a.m. each morning. She’s on the Highway Task Force.

“I love what I do. I mean, I come to work, and it's something new every day. It's not the same old thing. Very entertaining,” Peters said. “Some days, you really impact people's lives and help them and change their lives.”

Peters said she wanted a career in which she could help people. Taking every civil service exam while finishing her master’s degree, she then went through the NYPD academy and worked there for a year before being called up by the state police. In 2019, she became a trooper based in Orange County, where she grew up.

“I think literally once a day I’m thanked for my service. So, I think that is something great,” Peters said. “It makes you feel good about your job, and you're proud of yourself and what you do.”

According to Statista, 13.3% of full-time law enforcement officers were female, while 86.7% of law enforcement officers were male.

People like Peters are breaking barriers in law enforcement, making those numbers a little more balanced. Peters said she was the only female in her academy class for six months and would love to see more women on the job.

“I hate when people say, like, ‘I hate the cops,’ and I’m like, ‘we've never had an interaction.’ I'm like, the nicest person you'll ever meet. So, I feel like that's such a challenge right now, especially going on in the world and overcoming that and making people realize that we're here to help you and make you safe,” Peters said.

New York State Police have joined agencies around the country in the “30x30” pledge to increase the percentage of female recruits to 30% by 2030.

Having almost five years on the job as a trooper, Peters is preparing to take the sergeant’s test in October.

“I’ll be pumping gas at the end of the day, and I’ll have a mom come up to me with her daughter and be like, ‘oh, my daughter's never seen a female trooper, like, I love to see that,’ ” Peters said.

The trooper entrance examination is being administered until Oct. 15. You can apply to take it and learn more about the process on joinstatepolice.ny.gov.