Opening Doors so Others Could Follow
When Sharon Olver joined the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) on August 29, 1977, she was one of only four women in her class. The OPP had only begun recruiting women three years earlier, so Olver knew going in that she was part of a movement challenging old stereotypes about the suitability of women in policing.
In all, 12 women joined the OPP that year, bringing the overall number of women on the job at the time to just under 70. Olver was posted to the Sudbury Detachment and was there for a little more than a year before transferring south to the OPP’s Downsview Detachment in December of 1978.
While in Downsview, Olver was selected to serve as a member of the Royal Motorcade for Her Majesty the Queen and His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh. She recalls that the training for this elite detail was challenging and required impeccable timing and calmed nerves. She was expected to be able to maintain an even speed of 100 miles per hour while also remaining four feet off the bumper in front of her.
It was also in Downsview where Olver would lay the groundwork and develop an interest in more detailed crime scene investigation. After a decade on the road, she pursued an opportunity to serve as an identification officer.
After four years, it was time to move on and explore other career opportunities. After earning a promotion to Sergeant, she transferred to the Criminal Investigation Branch.
In 1993, Olver transferred to the Ontario Casino Project with the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO). In 2008, she was promoted to Staff Sergeant and in 2014, she retired after an impressive 37 years with the OPP.
In the 1970s, policing was considered a controversial career path for women. Those who chose it were subjected to scrutiny about their motives and their commitment to the role. It was women like Sharon Olver who took on the challenge and helped to change society’s attitudes about women in this profession, and women in specialized roles within the OPP.
Thirty-six years after Sharon Olver first put on her OPP uniform, Kaitlin Rodak swore an oath to the people of Ontario when she became a Provincial Constable. Rodak began her policing career in 2013 just as Sharon Olver was wrapping hers up. While they never had the chance to meet over the few months that their employment with the OPP overlapped, they are nonetheless connected through time.
Rodak began her career at the Norfolk County Detachment. In 2017, she pursued her interest in forensic identification and transferred to the Forensic Identification Services Unit in Tillsonburg. It is there where she has found a kindred spirit in Sharon Olver – that pioneer that first pursued this specialty and opened the door for women like Rodak to follow.
Kaitlin Rodak shares her perspective on her work, and the value of pursuing your interests in this video profile.
‘[The] bravery and resilience [of the women before me] paved the way for me to be able to contribute my skillset and have a rewarding career.’
– Provincial Constable Kaitlin Rodak, Forensic Identification Services
It still takes bravery and commitment to pursue a career in policing. We are proud to celebrate these two women and the many others who have served and continue to serve in this, the 50th Anniversary of women in uniform in the OPP. We hope that their stories will inspire others to follow their dreams.