A law enforcement agency in Manatee County is making history.
For the first time, the Palmetto Police Department has hired an African-American female police officer.
Rebecca Evans, who is still in training, said when she was hired, she didn't realize this. She said she is honored.
"It's exciting to actually know that I am actually the first African-American officer to be hired here," she said.
Police Chief Rick Wells, who took over as leader of Palmetto Police two years ago, said he was shocked to learn about their lack of diversity.
He said he immediately began looking to make the department more diverse. However, he said it wasn't as easy as he had hoped it would be.
"There wasn't really a large pool of African-American applicants," Wells said. "We got lucky when we found Rebecca. Well, really, she really found us."
Evans, 35, is a former Certified Nursing Assistant with Hospice and mother of four. She said that, while she always wanted to work in law enforcement, the timing wasn't right to make a career change until recently.
With the hiring of Evans, the Palmetto Police Department now has 36 officers. Four of those officers are women and 32 are men.
Thirty of those officers are Caucasian, three are Hispanic, and three are African American.
Chief Wells said his latest hire of Evans was not just because of her skin color. He said she's fully qualified.
Evans said she's thankful for the opportunity and hoping to make a difference in the community.
"Hopefully we can open some more doors," said Evans. "I would like to see some more female officers."