WELLS — There were few women police officers when Ruth Farnsworth graduated with a degree in public administration, law and justice from the University of Lowell in 1981.

“I was looking for a job, and I thought police work sounded interesting. A friend of mine living in Wells suggested I apply as a summer reserve officer in one of the summer tourist towns to see if I liked it. Obviously I did, because 33 years later, I’m now retiring from the Wells Police force,” said Farnsworth in a phone interview Wednesday.

At the time, Farnsworth recalled, the other reserve officers were all males ”“ just out of high school and also looking to get into police work.

“I definitely was the unique person in the bunch,” Farnsworth said as she reflected on her role as a pioneer for women in police work. “You had to have that little bit extra to compete, and I don’t think I would have been hired if I didn’t have a college degree.”

Thinking back to her earlier years, Farnsworth explained the officers ”“ and sometimes their wives ”“ didn’t like the idea of a female police officer. She started doing town patrol when someone was out sick and remembers people asking her if she felt comfortable driving around town by herself.

However, she said, as time went on, people got used her, and she and a handful of other women police officers proved they were just as much an asset as the guy standing next to them.

Today, it’s not as unusual to see women like Farnsworth doing the job. Both Wells’ and Ogunquit’s police departments are headed by women. Wells Police Chief Jo-Ann Putnam joined the Wells force in 1985. In Ogunquit, Chief Patricia Arnaudin has been a long-time colleague.

Farnsworth worked her way up through the Wells police ranks. Starting as a patrol officer, she soon made detective, where she worked difficult juvenile abuse and sex abuse investigations.

“Police work is not only about enforcing the rules and laws, it’s about helping folks, and with child abuse cases, helping them out of a bad situation can be rewarding,” Farnsworth said.

She said she believes women and men have different talents that they bring to the job of a cop. While she may not have the physical strength of some men, she brought other skills to her work, such as the strong communication and people skills that make her approachable.

“Not to say men don’t have these skills, too, but we all use them in different ways. Just because we’re women doesn’t mean you don’t have the skills to do police work,” she said.

As detective, Farnsworth started teaching the national drug awareness program DARE in schools, an activity she feels was the precursor for today’s school resource officers now assigned in most Maine school districts.

“In my opinion, that’s how school resource officers came about. Kids would see us on the playground ”“ a role model and someone who was approachable to talk to. Teachers would be able to pull us in when needed,” she said.

After about 12 years of child abuse investigations, Farnsworth knew it was time to move on. She tested for and was promoted to the rank of corporal. She was back on the road and in uniform.

“Even when you’re pulling someone over for an OUI, you have to remember you don’t always know the people you’ve helped or what impact your intervention may have on a person’s life,” Farnsworth said.

She continued to climb the ladder, studying and taking the exams that would promote her to sergeant in the late 1990s. When Putnam became acting chief in 2007, Farnsworth became acting lieutenant. Both women’s titles became permanent in 2008.

“I’ve done the role of court officer and dispatch supervisor, but I really like teaching, so I went for it and became a certified instructor at the Police Academy,” said Farnsworth.

She also spent 15 years managing the very summer reserve program where she got started.

In 2000, Farnsworth’s married Butch Farnsworth, then a Biddeford police officer, who is now also retired. Butch has children from a previous marriage, and Ruth says she enjoys her role as grandmother to her husband’s grandchildren.

Her own mother, Esther, and her mother’s sister moved to Wells to be closer to her. Recently, Esther had a fall, and that’s when Farnsworth decided it was time to retire.

“I think police work is a wonderful career and profession. It’s an honor to be of service to a community, but once you don’t have it in your heart to do it anymore, it’s time to move on,” said Farnsworth, who retired at the end of July. “It’s time to be my mom’s caregiver. I’ll miss the guys I worked with, but they still call me when they need to know how something (in the department) works.”

Farnsworth was honored at a luncheon thrown by the town and fellow officers on Thursday.

— Tracey Collins can be contacted via kristenm@journaltribune.com.