History was made in the Port Orchard Police Department last week when an officer became the first-ever female supervisor.

Police Chief Geoffrey Marti announced that Officer Donna Main was promoted to police sergeant. It was effective July 31.

“Donna has proven herself as a highly motivated, professional police officer, with a focus of making the community she serves better,” Marti said. “I am confident that she will be an outstanding sergeant for our police department and the city.”

Main, 47, was commissioned as a police officer in February 2010.

“It’s real exciting to be in this position,” Main said. “I was very surprised.”

Main is one of two women in the police department. The other is a detective.

She said she training three new officers who have joined the department.

“Now I’m still doing field training and trying to do a little bit of the sergeant’s job,” Main said. “I haven’t officially been doing any training as sergeant, but I have taken on those responsibilities.”

She said her new position will involve more desk time and paper work, and less patrolling.

“I won’t be patrolling as much, but I’ll still be out there,” said Main, who will finish her fourth year with the department in September.

She was 43 years old when she attended the police academy.

During her earlier years, Main said she knew she wanted to do something with law or the medical field.

“I got out of college and landed a fairly good job that was stable and worked for my family,” she said.

After college, Main worked as an account representative for ConAgra Foods for about 15 years.

“But I reached the ‘top of my game’ and didn’t want to get promoted because I would had to move to Nebraska,” she said. “I didn’t want to move.”

Main said she didn’t forget where she came from. Behind her desk sits a can of Chef Boyardee to reminder her.

“It gave me an opportunity to develop my life lessons,” she said. “It allowed me to raise my family and come here with all the ‘young stuff’ out of the way.”

Main said she didn’t want to always be an account representative. That’s when she decided to become a police officer.

“I wanted to make a difference,” she said.

In February, Main was the recipient of the “Accommodation for Ongoing Community-Related Service” by American Legion Post 30.

She is a 1985 graduate of South Kitsap High School and played four years of basketball at Western Washington University in Bellingham. She received her bachelor’s degree in exercise science and sports psychology, and was an assistant coach at WWU for one season.

As a mother of two teenage boys, Main said her sons don’t see the police uniform — they just see “mom.”