Q&A with Gladdys Soto: The newest female officer

Gladdys Soto is the newest female officer to join the Lehigh University Police Department after completing her training at the Allentown Police Academy this past summer. Before her position at LUPD, Soto served as a security guard at Lehigh for two years. 

She was hired a few years after Lehigh signed the 30×30 pledge in 2021, an initiative aimed at increasing the recruitment, retention and encouragement of women in policing.  

Soto spoke to The Brown and White about what drove her to pursue a career in law enforcement, and her vision for the future of  LUPD.

What inspired you to become a police officer?

Well, this was really more of my brother’s dream. He got killed last year due to gun violence. So I basically made it happen for him since his time got cut short.

Why did you choose to be a security guard and an officer at Lehigh?

Honestly, Lehigh first started as a regular job, and then it grew to be more of (a) home for me. I got to meet a lot of important people, nice people, and I got to help so many. It’s very diverse. I got to meet so many different students from different cultures and stuff like that, and it’s just been home ever since.

How did your upbringing in Harlem shape you as an individual?

Growing up, I used to get in a lot of trouble with the police, which is ironic being that I’m a cop now. Being from Harlem made me a stronger person. I’m very patient because I dealt with a lot of things, so I have the time to deal with them. Being in and out of trouble — it kind of made me see the different injustices that’s going on in the law enforcement aspect of life. 

I wanted to make a difference. So here I am.

What did your training in the Allentown Police Academy involve?

Training in the (Allentown Police) Academy was extremely rough. It was constant PT (physical training), which consisted of running, push-ups, sit-ups, (running) 300 meters, and one and a half air squats. It all became repetitive, but after a while, your body was like, “Wait, I’m tired, give me a minute, you know?”

What exactly is PT?

PT is a physical aspect of the academy. They test you for your physical agility, and you have to maintain a certain percentage based on the municipal aspect of everything. That was rough. 

They gave us a lot of tests, and we did a lot of in-class stuff. It became repetitive, but it taught us a lot about the law. We also did firearms, which taught us how to properly shoot a gun, a handgun, a rifle and a shotgun. They also told us how to clean it and take it apart and put it back together, which was probably my favorite thing in the academy. 

The academy was definitely rough, mentally and physically. I had a friend who also went with me, and she’s no longer here, but if it wasn’t for her, I wouldn’t have made it through.

Why were firearms your favorite part of training?

Do you ever find yourself being just naturally good at something? Before I went to the academy, I never really shot a gun like that, and it was just something that I was naturally good at. I was actually a top shooter in the academy for nighttime, and it was definitely an experience worth living again.

What was your onboarding experience with the Lehigh police force?

It was pretty straightforward. Being that I was already a security guard, I had to do my shooting required testing again here to come in, so they know that I’m knowledgeable with the weapons. They taught me how to use a taser. 

It’s very, very odd because security and police work are hand in hand. We (police officers) just have the ability to go through with arresting somebody and strip them of their freedom as opposed to a security officer. 

What does engaging in the Lehigh community look like to you?

It looks like going out there, talking to different people, seeing what their needs are and how we can be better police officers for them. At the end of the day, we do serve the Lehigh community, and we just want to show face to let them know that you guys can come to us if you have any issues and not to be afraid. 

I was able to do all those things on the day shift. The night shift is a little different now because I’m not really seeing many people. The chief got a lot of compliments when I was a security guard here because I would go inside the buildings, and I would interact with the students, faculty, staff members and stuff like that. 

I will build that relationship, so that was very important for me. That’s one of the reasons why I loved Lehigh, because it gave me the ability to get out of my comfort zone and go out there and speak to people.

What has been your favorite moment engaging with the Lehigh community?

The South Side sale. I used to volunteer there as a security guard to help out Carolina Hernandez (in the CSO office). I don’t know if you know who she is, but she’s in charge of the South Side sale, and she’s awesome. She’s one of the greatest people that I’ve met here at Lehigh, and it was (what) I would say would be one of the biggest moments that I enjoyed here at Lehigh. 

And the Pride Palooza. I don’t know if you’ve ever been around that, but I like how diverse and inclusive they are with the LGBTQ+ community because I’m a part of that community myself, so that’s important for me.

How do you stay positive while beating all odds as a woman in the police force?

I’m really here to break the status quo and influence other women to join the police force and make a difference out there. It is a male-dominated career. So by me just being here and beating the odds — it speaks volumes. 

That alone is going to make me keep pushing forward and keep smiling because I’m one of the few who made it. So that’s why I’m always so smiley and positive.

What changes do you hope to see in the Lehigh community?

I feel like they definitely have to do better with the lockout systems here. We get the brunt of it all, and sometimes it takes away from real policing. 

Other than that, the Lehigh community has done its absolute best to try to make everybody happy.

What is your end goal as a police officer?

My end goal as a police officer is to be important enough to stand by the chief. He is a man that you can speak to for hours, and you will just be amazed. 

You know, if it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t have been able to go to the academy. So I owe him a lot. I want to be remotely close to what he is.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

For the women who are interested in being police officers, do it, and don’t look back. Or even if they don’t want to be police officers, if they want to be anything in a male-dominated career, go for it. Don’t let nobody tell you otherwise. Don’t let nobody discourage you. Because we are strong.