TWIN FALLS, Idaho (KLIX) – The first woman to make the rank of sergeant in the Twin Falls Police Department was recognized in her new position in front of the City Council on Monday.

Dusty Solomon started her new position as patrol sergeant on May 1, but on Monday received honors from her fellow law enforcement officers. Police Chief Craig Kingsbury conducted the ceremony.

Several police officers applied for the position and went through a rigorous qualifying process, Kingsbury said, and included peer review. He presented a brief biography of Solomon and her accomplishments to date, saying that he looks forward to seeing what she’ll do in her new role.

“I’m excited for her future,” he said.

After Kingsbury’s remarks, Solomon, who was all smiles during the presentation, received stripes from her fellow officers.

One of the first things on her agenda, she said, is to get to better know the eight officers in her patrol unit, Platoon B, so she can encourage and lead them properly. She looks forward to the challenges of being a sergeant and continuing to grow in her career.

She didn’t always want to be a police officer, according to her parents Graham and Raylene Solomon, who were at the presentation to see their daughter recognized. She originally was interested in teaching, Graham said, until one day in high school she and a friend started talking about becoming police officers.

“That was the starting point,” he said. It stuck in her mind and was the path she eventually would choose.

“It suits her well,” Raylene said. “We’re proud of her. She is a very determined young woman.”

Solomon joined the ranks of Twin Falls police officers in August 2007 after first joining the department’s Reserve Officer Program that April; she became a full-time communications specialist two months later, in June 2007.

In July 2009, Solomon became a member of the Crisis Negotiations Unit and maintains her certification as a hostage negotiator from the International Association of Hostage Negotiators. She also is the instructor for the department’s Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) and recently received her coordinator’s certification from CIT International.

Kingsbury said he’d like to have more officers receive CIT certification over the next couple of years.

Solomon, who left the Council Chambers after the presentation to talk with media, knew the question was coming: What is it like being the department’s first female police sergeant?

“It’s exciting,” she said. “It is definitely an honor.”

More From Kool 96.5