Since 1971, Officers from the Cape Coral Police Department have patrolled the streets of the city, but in all the time since then, the only K-9 handlers on the force have been men, until now. 

When you first meet Officer Cassandra Hargis, you can tell that for her, Cape Coral is more than just a place she works, its home. 

“I never left, so I was born and raised here.” Hargis said, “I’ve been around animals all my life, really enjoy dogs, I aspired to be in law enforcement and I thought those two just really mixed well.” 

Having grown up in Cape Coral, and attending FGCU to study environmental studies, her career at the Cape Coral Police Department began in 2018, and even then, women were rare.  

“I ended up applying, got in, and a couple of years later I got this, so its been a dream come true.” Hargis said. 

Fast forward to just a few months ago, when she gained a female partner, her 2-year-old shepherd canine “Enny”. 

“Enny, she’s nuts. A good worker, she’s hard. Its funny because she keeps me in line. Keeps me on my toes.” Hargis said, “She’s definitely a puppy at heart, she is only two, so…” 

And even though she’s the first woman on the force to have a K-9 partner, she believes their contribution is crucial. 

“I think we have definitely a niche that we cover, being females in law enforcement. A lot of victims and people can connect with women differently than men. There’s a place here for us. We are able to do a lot of good.” Hargis said. 

Its also a good that Cassandra hopes serves to inspire the next generation of female police officers, willing to follow in her footsteps.