Three female San Diego Police Department officers were recognized for their outstanding work at the third annual Women in Blue San Diego Police Foundation luncheon on March 13. According to the San Diego Union-Tribune, San Diego police Capt. Lori Luhnow, police supervising crime analyst Karen Goodman and child abuse investigations expert Donna Pence were each honored at the event by their colleagues. The three women have a combined 85 years of service to the San Diego community.

The San Diego Police Foundation's website stated that the Women in Blue event raised more than $20,000 last year, which the organization uses to strengthen the community and make it safer.

During this year's luncheon, San Diego police Chief William Lansdowne said the women were "instrumental in making the city of San Diego safer," and also referred to them as "true heroes of American law enforcement."

What the honored women had to say about their careers
According to the source, Luhnow started her career with the force as a motorcycle traffic officer and now oversees the department's special operations, which includes traffic, motors, the canine unit, air support and SWAT. Luhnow was also recognized for her two and a half years of being director of the San Diego Family Justice Center, where she helped provide resources for domestic violence victims in partnership with the San Diego Housing Commission.

"I'm here representing all the men and women of the police department, and the work we do," Luhnow said.

She added that she finds her job fulfilling because she knows what she is doing "makes a difference."

Goodman has been a crime analyst for the department since 1991. She said she knew she always wanted to be a police officer. She mentioned that she is proud of her work because she is able to "put  bad guys behind bars."

Pence joined the San Diego State University Research Foundation after she retired from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigations in 2001. She is now chief executive officer of Pence-Wilson Training and Consultants with her husband and travels across the world to train child abuse investigators on various interview techniques.