DATE: Saturday, August 30, 1997             TAG: 9708300856

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B1   EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA 

SOURCE: BY PAUL SOUTH, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: MANTEO                            LENGTH:   81 lines

MANTEO'S FINEST NOW BOASTS FIRST FEMALE POLICE OFFICER KATHRYN BRYAN HAS 10 YEARS OF MILITARY EXPERIENCE

The first woman to walk the beat in this 98-year-old town's history says she's always wanted to be a police officer.

In fact, 32-year-old Kathryn Bryan says, the desire to wear a badge has followed her from her earliest days in school.

``I cried at the pledge of allegiance in first grade,'' Bryan said. ``I take my country and my patriotism very seriously. You can talk the talk, but you have to walk the walk. That's something I've tried to do all my adult life.''

Bryan, a former Army lieutenant, was sworn in Thursday in ceremonies at the town hall. She spent two years as a military police officer in the Army's European command, one of the first women M.P.'s to serve in a forward defense position in the military at Wurtzburg, Germany.

That experience, she says, prepared her for her pioneer role in Manteo.

``I broke a lot of ground as a female M.P.,'' Bryan said. ``The biggest challenge here is going to be learning my job.''

After a decade of military experience, Bryan was drawn to small towns. She scouted a number of communities before choosing Manteo, population 1,400.

Manteo Police Chief F.T. D'Ambra has started a community policing initiative, aimed at developing a closer relationship between citizens and cops on the beat. That was the largest factor in her decision to join the force.

``Manteo has one of the most progressive community policing programs I've found since I've been looking,'' she said. ``I looked at about 25 communities.''

Bryan sees her mission in simple terms.

``I want to go down the street and have little Bobby say, `There's Officer Bryan. She told me not to do drugs,' so he doesn't do drugs,'' she said. ``And there's the lady that works at the post office and she knows me. I want to take crime personally because it's where I live.''

Manteo's waterfront setting had no impact on Bryan's desire to work in the town.

``I would work for Manteo Police Department if it were in the ghetto,'' Bryan said. ``The surroundings, as lovely as they are, had nothing to do with it. Because of community policing and the chief's views on where he wants to go and where he's been already in the short time he's been here, it's incredible. I feel suited for that. That's what I'm good at, and it's what I enjoy.''

The Cincinnati native said police work attracted her because she wanted to serve others.

``People get into police work for two reasons,'' she said. ``One is the authority. They want to flash the badge and be in charge. The other is the responsibility. I like the responsibility.''

As part of her tour of duty, Bryan witnessed horrors faced by people in other countries. Those memories feed her desire to be a solid officer, she said.

``It's because I've been places where people are afraid to go anywhere, where there are no schools because they've been bombed. We are so fortunate. It's part of the payback to my country.''

Bryan holds a criminology degree from St. Leo College in Florida. She doesn't expect difficulties in her new job because of her gender.

``I firmly believe that for the most part, you get what you look for,'' she said. ``If you look for discrimination, you find it. If you look for racism, you find it. If you look for sexism, you find it. And in 10 years in the military, I never looked for it, so I didn't find it.

D'Ambra praised his newest officer.

``I can confidently say I'd put her qualifications and her skills and abilities up against any law enforcement officer anywhere in the country,'' D'Ambra said. ``She has a very extensive background because of her military career, and that speaks a lot to her abilities in the civilian world. She's got the education, the credentials and the background to do a fine job in Manteo. I don't think her gender was a factor. We were looking for people to get the job done.''

Bryan expects Manteo citizens to respond positively to her presence on the beat.

``In not too long, I won't be `that female officer,' '' she said. ``I'll be `that good officer. Let's call her. We need help.' '' ILLUSTRATION: Color photo

WILLIAM P. CANNON, The Virginian-Pilot

New to the beat in Manteo, but an old hand at law enforcement is

32-year-old Kathryn Bryan, a native of Cincinnati

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