A woman from Arizona will soon make history by entering the Miss USA competition as the first member of the police force.

Candace Kanavel is an officer with the Tempe Police department, according to a news statement from the department.

She is a SWAT hostage negotiator for the agency and has training in crisis intervention, according to the statement.

The 27-year-old woman, who is of Japanese American origin, was named Miss Arizona in the month of May,

according to Good Morning America. Even though the two professions are different, she claimed that they share one important aspect.

‘I feel empowered to help others while I’m wearing my police outfit. When Kanavel is wearing her sash and crown,

she feels more empowered to help others, she told GMA. So, even though I’m wearing a different uniform, I’m still carrying out the same tasks.

The Tempe officer who started the ad, according to KNXV-TV, an ABC station, claimed she did so because she

‘felt like people constantly looked at me as a very feminine woman and discounted what I may be capable of.’

‘I know that happens to so many women, especially being in my line of work as a police officer,” she continued.

In particular, ‘especially being in my line of work as a police officer.’ Although it is not, ‘I think that people see femininity as weakness.’

Kanavel also wants to inspire more women to work in law enforcement by using her platform as Miss Arizona.

She was quoted in the press release from the Toronto Police Department as remarking that “not that long ago there weren’t

any women in law enforcement.’ ‘Going forward, a female law enforcement officer will compete in the Miss USA competition.’

Kanavel believes it has been advantageous for her to be able to compete in pageants because of her profession.

She claimed in an interview with KSAZ-TV on the FOX network that she sometimes finds it useful to negotiate the release of hostages and neutralize potentially deadly situations.

She claimed that some negotiating occurs when talking to the judges. You’re trying to tell them about yourself and really have

those personal relationships with them, and that’s precisely what we try to do as hostage negotiators,

said one hostage negotiator. ‘Talking to the judges is a little bit of a negotiation,’ he added.

The ultimate purpose of Kanavel’s involvement in Miss USA is to show young girls that there are no limitations to the kinds of things they may accomplish in life.

She is mentioned in the TPD press release as saying, ‘You can do any career and be anything you want to be.’ You can become anything if you put your mind to it.

Every Friday at 8 p.m. ET, the Miss USA pageant is broadcast on The CW.