The Pursuit of Happiness
Chris Hansen: Embarking on a mission
By Meagan Parrish
Photographed by David Watkins
When Chris Hansen’s phone rang in April 2009, she knew it was the moment she had been waiting for. Vacationing with family at the Kalahari Resort in the Wisconsin Dells, Hansen recognized that the incoming number on her cell phone belonged to the Madison Police Department where, a year earlier, she had applied for a position. After countless rounds of interviews and exams, Hansen braced herself to find out if an improbable attempt to jump careers had finally paid off. She answered the phone and heard the voice of Captain Sue Williams on the other line. Hansen was in.
“We all laughed and hugged and reveled in the news,” Hansen says, describing that moment of excitement and relief.
Although being a police officer is certainly neither a glamorous nor stress-free job, it was where Hansen knew she would be happy. But the odds were against her.
Approaching her 40th birthday, Hansen had no prior training in police work. She was competing against 1,700 applicants—ultimately being one of only 13 invited to enter the police academy. She didn’t fit the profile of an average officer, but Hansen refused let that hold her back.
“I may fail at this,” Hansen says she told her stepdaughter. “But even if I fail, I’m going to try.”
Hansen’s résumé bore no trace of a woman preparing for life as a cop. Relentlessly optimistic, she knew what mattered was not where she came from, but where she wanted to go.
Prior to her transition to the academy, Hansen spent nearly 15 years working in sales and social work. Though she earned a good living, she felt like something was missing. Seeking a new way to bring a purpose to her daily grind, Hansen began researching new job ideas. When she found herself reading about the philosophy of the Madison Police Department, Hansen felt like she had found her place in the world.
“I was in the best physical, emotional and spiritual shape of my life,” Hansen explains with a self-assured tone. “In the end, I thought, ‘I’m divorced, I’m 40, I have a fresh start. I’m going for it.’”
Hansen is a woman on a mission, bent on strengthening the bond between police and the community they serve while being a voice for the chronically underprivileged.
“I’m always one that roots for the underdog and wants everyone to get a chance, to get representation, to get their voice heard,” she explains. “I want to cultivate a trusting relationship between the community and police department.”
Upon making it into the force and beginning training at the academy in May 2010, Hansen’s life has been transformed. “It’s very challenging. I’m up every day at 5 or 5:30 a.m. and I don’t stop moving all day. I have to stay in good shape and I have homework every night.” Yet, as a mother who shares five kids between the ages of five and 19 with her fiancé, feeling swamped is a part of life. “It’s a lot, but I’m not a stranger to that,” she explains.
On top of the strenuous work load and grueling hours, Hansen has to grapple with being an atypical academy recruit, taking on an exhaustive training process at an older age and with more responsibilities at home. “I wasn’t sure how I’d fit in,” she admits, describing the other candidates in her program. “Most are in their 20s or early 30s. Most of them don’t have kids.” But, she adds, “We work pretty well [together]…Everyone lends a little something different to the qualities and characteristics we have as a team. [Some of us] bring more life experience and wisdom to the table.”
As Hansen trudges through police training, she remains resolute. If doubt creeps into her mind, she reminds herself that she is at the academy “for a reason.”
In January 2011, Hansen will hit the streets as a Madison police officer. Although she has faith in her training, she is not impervious to the dangers of her job. “My fiancé worries a little bit,” she says. “There certainly will be times when I’m in a difficult or dangerous situation. But I always reflect on the fact that the training program is sensational.”
Despite the potential dangers and her own unique challenges, Hansen says she feels content. Noting how easy it would have been to not even attempt a change of this magnitude, she is proud of where this journey has taken her.
As she looks at her children, she knows that accomplishing her own goal sends a positive message to them. “Whatever it is [you want]—try it. I did not want to look back 20 years from now and wonder,” she says. “If you have a dream, do it. If you think you’ll be good at something, throw your hat in the ring. The worst that could happen is that it doesn’t [work out] and even then, you learn something.”
Hair and makeup by Andrea Kindig of William John Salon in Madison.