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TAHLEQUAH, OK - The Cherokee Nation Marshal Service recently added two female Marshals to their force.

Jera Bidwell and Denise Henry joined the Marshal Service in January. Since then, they have been riding along with other officers to learn the patrol area and have been doing some physical training.

Bidwell and Henry are the Marshal Service’s only female patrol officers, though Captain Sharon Wright has been with the Marshal Service for fourteen years.

"It's hard to find women who want to do this", Wright said. "We have very few female applicants. We were glad to find them."

Bidwell, 22, from Twin Oaks, graduated from Northeastern State University in December with a B.S. degree in Criminal Justice and a minor in Psychology. She is a 1997 graduate of Oaks High School. Before graduating from NSU, she served as an intern patrol officer with the Oklahoma Scenic Rivers Commission, where she patrolled the river with the Rangers during the summer, which is the river's busiest season. She is married to William Bidwell, also of Twin Oaks. She will attend CLEET training in March and will begin patrolling on her own after that.

"I always wanted to be a cop ever since I was little", Bidwell said.

Henry, 35, from Collinsville, is no stranger to law enforcement. She was a police officer with the Collinsville Police Department for two and a half years before applying for her current position with the Cherokee Nation Marshal Service. Henry is a college senior, who has taken a year off from school to learn everything she can about the Marshal Service. She has been attending Mid American Bible College and Tulsa Community College where she is majoring in Criminal Justice. She hopes to resume classes this summer, if her new schedule will allow it. She and husband, Mike, have two children, Jessie, 10, and Jake, 6. Henry will begin patrolling on her own next week. She is CLEET certified.

"I love this job, it’s a good variety of work. I like the fact that you can specialize in a specific area, such as narcotics or investigation", said Henry, who would like to specialize in narcotics. “I worked in narcotics in Collinsville promoting drug awareness in the area schools. It's what I like to do."

Although this is not a job for just anyone, these female Marshals are anxious to begin patrolling on their own and say they are ready for the challenge that being a Cherokee Nation Marshal brings.