Port Authority Cop Becomes 2nd Woman To Make Elite Unit

Port Authority Police Officer Victoria Berardi is used to being the only female on a team.

Although Berardi has an empathetic support system at home – her wife is a trooper with the NJ State Police – she’s often the only woman in her workplace, which can include responding to active shooters, handling terrorist attacks, protecting hostages and handling hazardous materials.

But ironically, it’s something that the Bloomfield College graduate has grown accustomed to.

“At a young age I always participated in childhood sports with boys,” Berardi said in a Port Authority blog after recently becoming just the second woman in history to earn a spot on the agency’s elite Emergency Service Unit (ESU). “Because of this, I’ve never thought much about being the only female.”

Berardi has dreamed of leaping into action with a SWAT unit since she was a child. Now, after graduating from the New York Police Department Service Specialized Training School and serving five years in different Port Authority commands, she’s finally getting her SWAT shot with one of the most high-profile police agencies in the Tri-State area.

“I consider myself to be extremely lucky in being able to accomplish this dream and I hope to continue to enhance my training and education to be the best I could be in the field,” Berardi said.

The stalwart law enforcement officer comes from a tight-knit family with a history of public service; her father and eldest brother worked in the U.S. Army and her mother was a nurse. It’s a tradition that her supervisors expect Berardi to continue.

“Officer Berardi was handpicked to be a part of the agency’s counterterrorism unit because she served as a role model for other police officers,” said Assistant Chief Steve Rotolo, head of the Port Authority Police Department Counterterrorism Unit. “Her progression to the department’s most elite unit was a natural fit.”

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Photos via Port Authority of NY/NJ (used with permission)