Petersen Sisters Make a First on Police Force

There have been brothers, uncles, fathers and grandfathers but there has never been a set of sisters serving on the Winthrop Police Dept. until now.

Last week 23-year-old Vanessa Faro Petersen was sworn in as a new reserve officer in the Dept. where her 25-year old sister Officer Samantha Faro Petersen has been on force since October 2018 who completed the police academy in 2018. Vanessa graduated from the Recruit Academy in 2018.

Samantha Petersen graduated with a degree in   criminal justice at Westfield State while her sister Vanessa graduated from LaSalle College with a degree in criminal justice.

“We have totally different personalities,” Samantha  said. “She’s more the fun, lovable, carefree and I’m more regimented, don’t break the rules.”

The two, new officers grew up in Winthrop, as did their parents and grandparents, Salvatore and Elaine Faro.

It was their mother Elaine Faro who pushed Samantha to join the Police Explorers Club, run by Sgt. Steve Rogers. Samantha Petersen said when she was a kid she thought the Explorers were for boys, but soon found out otherwise.

“I wasn’t playing sports or anything. My mother kept telling me I needed something to do so I joined the Explorers,” Samantha Petersen said, adding that their older brother Michael has been supportive too. “After the first meeting of the Explorers I was hooked,” she said. “I started at 15 so I basically grew up here. It’s been an easy transition because it feels like home.”

In the Explorers members are exposed to day to day calls a police officer responds to. These scenarios help build the foundation of the police officer.

Vanessa Petersen started with the Explorers at the age of 13. She currently works at Boston Medical Center in the public safety Dept..

“We just did a training and I embraced everything they said,” Samantha Petersen said. “Everyone just instantly became my role models.”

Going through the academy is not easy and the two sisters did not think they’d be making history. Both credit their time in the Explorers to fuel their desire to be police officers.

“But it’s also a testament to how well we did on the test,” Samantha Petersen said. “I couldn’t ask for a better outcome.”

In the future, Samantha said she’s glad to start in Winthrop but she does see herself advancing her career to the federal or state level, ATF or detective. “I’m enjoying my job and getting to know the community,” Samantha said.