Kelcy Stefansson

Kelcy Stefansson was born Utah in 1956 but grew up outside of Washington, DC. She attended high school in Bowie, Maryland, and then earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from Seaton Hill University in Pennsylvania. Looking for something besides office work, Stefansson took the US Park Police (USPP) examination and became one of its officers in January 1984. She was given badge number 183.

Officer Stefansson on her Harley Davidson motorcycle. (US Park Police photo)

Stefansson spent four months training at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) in Brunswick, Georgia, and then worked as a patrol officer at the National Mall, Rock Creek Park, George Washington Memorial Parkway, and Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park. She worked uniformed and plainclothes assignments.

Also in 1984, Stefansson obtained her motorcycle license. However, she had to serve at least three years on the force before she could apply to the Motor Unit. When she did, she was deemed well-qualified and underwent two weeks of training to authorize her to ride the unit’s Harley Davidson motorcycles. She earned a slot on the 31-member Motor Unit and in 1988 became the first USPP female motor officer.

As part of her duties, Stefansson provided police escorts to the president of the United States and other heads of state and officials. Most of her work on the squad, however, involved riding up to 500 miles a week in city traffic while performing patrol duties. She rode year-round, regardless of weather. In the winter, a sidecar was added for stability. Cold-weather riding gear included a canvas lap robe.

Stefansson enjoyed the Motor Unit so much that in 1990 she passed up a chance to compete for promotion to sergeant. Three years later she did move up and away from the Motor Unit when she became a sergeant on the Violent Crime Task Force, working within Washington, DC, and with the Metropolitan Police Department.

Motor Officer Stefansson. (Courtesy of Tony and Judy Ferraro)

In 1997 she became Lieutenant Stefansson, with assignments in the Shift Commanders Office and on the Violent Crime Task Force, before becoming the station commander of the George Washington Memorial Parkway Station. She also attended the FBI National Academy. Stefansson later served as executive officer to the chief of police and as commander of the special protection detail for Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton.

In 2006 she was promoted to captain and took her final assignment as the regional law enforcement specialist for the Northeast Region. Over the course of her career, she received several awards for outstanding police work and arrested numerous armed criminals. In 1997 she and officer Robert Chelsey were represented on the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial commemorative dollar coin issued by the US Mint.

She married Joel Briske, a major in the US Air Force, in August 2006. Captain Stefansson retired on August 31, 2007, after 23 years on the force.

Sources:

Internal Revenue Service. (1992). Women in Federal law enforcement. University of Michigan Library.

Smith, Elizabeth S. (1982). Breakthrough: Women in Law Enforcement. Walker & Co.

USPP News. (2018, March 31).

Trailblazing Women at US Park Police. Twitter. Retrieved May 20, 2022, from https://twitter.com/i/events/970759635383783425

Explore More!

To learn more about Women and the NPS Uniform, visit Dressing the Part: A Portfolio of Women's History in the NPS.


This research was made possible in part by a grant from the National Park Foundation.