Rookie policewoman starts new beat at 57

READING - At 57, most people are probably counting the years until retirement.

But not Kathleen Adams, who just graduated from the Reading Police Academy and is the oldest rookie ever on the force.

She recently was one of 18 new city police officers to hit the streets with field-training officers. She has been working the night shift, and supervisors said she has been making a lot of arrests and doing impressive work.

"I've always dreamed of being a police officer," said Adams, of Exeter Township, who has two children and who taught in high schools for 18 years.

"I was a juvenile probation officer in the '70s and '80s and unexpectedly got pregnant," she said.

She said her options were to work full time or quit when he had her daughter, Rebecca, in 1984. Her son, Evan, was born in 1988.

"I saw the kids as much more important than following my dreams," she said.

She worked as a court interpreter until 1989, then decided that as a single mother she could not do that anymore.

"I had to put the dream on hold and never thought I'd get the opportunity," she said. "Then, two years ago, I saw an ad in the newspaper and took the test and scored the highest and thought, 'Maybe I can do this.' "

She started doing physical training to prepare, she said, because she knew she was going to have to go through the same workouts as everyone else.

"If I'd known how hard the academy was, I would not have been brave enough," she said. "But I'm stubborn and stuck with it. But I could not have done it without my classmates and the instructors.

"I was always last running, which was depressing to me. During one tough run, everyone joined in and cheered for and ran with me and said, 'You can do this!' They wanted me to do it. They coached me, pushed me, pulled me, and encouraged and cheered for me. It was really awesome. I'm older than most of their mothers."

Jason McClean, 27, who is in the Air National Guard and was in the academy with Adams, said she was impressive in her ambition and determination.

"I was surprised seeing a person of her age," said McClean, who moved from Philadelphia for the job. "But she always wanted to do it and had a passion for it. She definitely motivated and inspired me."

Adams said her husband, Lynn, had been her biggest cheerleader.

"I do things late in life," she said. "Every one of us has different skills, talents, and weaknesses. I believe I have special talents that will benefit everyone. A woman's presence usually has a calming effect. I'll never be as strong as these guys. But I have a level of maturity that most people in their 20s don't have.

"I've made the same mistakes as everybody else. But after the training and everything, I feel like I'm ready for anything."