WACO, Texas — Being a Texas Ranger is an honor and a privilege for Wende Wakeman.
“It is the best job in the world. I would not trade it for anything. I could not see myself doing another job,” Maj. Wakeman said.
Wakeman’s passion and hard work on highway patrol, 16 years of investigating major criminal cases in the field, overseeing the Sexual Assault Kit Initiative and other duties led her to promotions.
She also received several awards throughout her career.
“Every step in my career, highway patrol, narcotics — I had a good support system. People who always encouraged me and supported me. Really, I owe everything to them and to anyone I have ever worked with in my career. Including people from other law-enforcement agencies,” Maj. Wakeman said.
Now she reached another milestone becoming a Ranger Major, the first woman to hold the position in DPS history.
“It is a major benchmark for anybody in our division to achieve this title. I am right there with everybody else. I am just as excited as anybody else has been,” Maj. Wakeman said.
Maj. Wakeman will be stationed in Waco and oversee 27 Rangers and three lieutenants from the south of Dallas to the south of San Antonio. She is thankful for the opportunity to pave the way for women in law-enforcement, but she is even more excited to be a support system for other rangers and give them the knowledge and tools they need to succeed.
“It takes a special kind of person to do this job. You must have a passion for it. I think we all do it because we want to make society better, we want to help people and we want to make the world a better place,” Maj. Wakeman said.
