Crossing the Line

Few women seek the profession of law
enforcement and even less stay until retirement. In Crossing
the Line, the eighth woman ever to retire from the Fairfax
County Police Department in Virginia offers an in-depth
glimpse into her life as a female police officer. When
Connie Novak was hired by the Fairfax County Police in 1979,
there were 700 sworn officers, of which just thirty were
women. As Novak chronicles the good and the evil, the
lighthearted and the insane, the humorous and the sad, she
allows others to see what really goes on behind the yellow
police tape. From boot camp where she was clobbered with a
right hook and learned how to shoot a handgun and shotgun,
to the bulletproof vest that made her look like Dolly
Parton, to the gun belt that bruised her hips on a regular
basis, Novak tells a fascinating story of how she balanced a
shift-based career where personal sacrifice is expected with
the demands of motherhood where little people depended on
her for everything. Crossing the Line offers a compelling
look into an honorable profession where officers must be
lifesavers, marriage counselors, judges, and parents-all
while keeping their emotions in check. This is real life.