SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. – Jennifer Mead knew early on she wanted to join the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office Underwater Search and Recovery Unit. She decided to make it happen and, in the process, made history as the first woman to become part of the team.
“I told myself there was nothing that was going to hold me back from that,” said Mead.
News 6 sat down with Mead one-on-one to talk about the success she’s found on the job in the last several years, and how she’s inspiring other women to go after non-traditional roles in law enforcement.
As a member of the Underwater Search and Recovery Unit, Mead dives into dark waters to find, document, and retrieve evidence.
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“Whether it’s an item, a car, motorcycle, gun, knife, and the unfortunate circumstance when we have to cover a body,” said Mead. “With as many bodies of water that are in Seminole County, there’s plenty of opportunity for us to have a call out.”
Mead, who works full-time in forensics, assists the dive team on a part-time basis when necessary.
The job can be physically demanding and challenging, but Mead said it is also rewarding.
“You have to be able to carry 50 to 60 pounds of gear. You have to be able to walk a long way. You have to be able to tread water,” said Mead. “I try every single day to make a difference, to help somebody, to provide them closure or an answer to something. That’s why we’re here.”
Mead, who is also a mother and a wife, hopes to inspire other women to achieve their goals. She recalls starting the process of joining the dive team by simply asking about it.
“I think there’s a weird stigma of ‘There’s no other women on that team, so it’s not for women,’ and I approached the commander and said, ‘What do you think?’” said Mead. “He was so open to it.”
Mead said she was welcomed with open arms.
“That was the launching pad for me. That was exactly what I needed in that moment to remind me of the team-oriented, inclusive culture that the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office has,” said Mead.
Since Mead joined the underwater unit, she said two other women have followed in her footsteps. She knows there will be more in the future.
“We’ve had some really awesome opportunities to go out to elementary schools and talk to some young kids, and girls and boys, and tell them, ‘The world is your oyster. You can do anything you want,’” said Mead. “Ninety percent of the girls were like, ‘I want to be like you when I grow up,’ and I was so emotional. It meant so much that I had the opportunity to impact, even for just a split second, and help ingrain that you can do anything that the person next to you (can do) regardless of whether you’re a female or not,” said Mead.
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