Ariz. Woman Will Soon Be First Police Officer to Compete in Miss USA: 'You Can Be All of the Things'

"I'm empowered to help people," said Candace Kanavel, a Tempe Police Department officer who was crowned Miss Arizona in May

An Arizona woman will soon be the first member of law enforcement to compete in Miss USA.

Candace Kanavel is an officer with the Tempe Police Department, where she works as a SWAT hostage negotiator and is trained in crisis intervention, according to a news release from the department.

The 27-year-old, who is Japanese American, was crowned Miss Arizona in May, according to Good Morning America. Although different, she said she believes the two jobs have one major aspect in common.

"When I'm in my police uniform, I'm empowered to help people. And when I'm in my sash and crown, I'm empowered to help people," Kanavel explained to GMA. "And so I'm doing the same job, just in a different uniform."

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When she isn’t working as an officer, or competing in pageants, Kanavel spends time “talking to middle school students about career choices and confidence,” according to the TPD.

Kanavel has also kickstarted a movement called “Yes She CAN,” which she hopes will “encourage, motivate and empower women of all ages” to be confident in themselves, trust their abilities and even consider non-traditional careers for women.

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The Tempe officer said she started the campaign after “feeling like people constantly look at me as a very feminine woman and discount what I may be capable of,” according to ABC affiliate KNXV-TV.

“I know that happens to so many women, especially being in my line of work as a police officer,” she said. “I think people see femininity as weakness, and it's not.”

Kanavel also hopes to use her role as Miss Arizona to recruit more women into law enforcement.

“Not that long ago there weren’t any women in law enforcement,” she said, per the TPD’s release. “Now, there will be a woman police officer walking the stage of Miss USA.”

As far as the pageant world, Kanavel believes her job has helped her compete. She told FOX affiliate KSAZ-TV that her crisis intervention and hostage negotiating skills can sometimes come in handy.

"Talking to the judges is a little bit of a negotiation,” she explained. “You're trying to tell them about yourself and really have those personal connections with them, and that’s exactly what we try to do as hostage negotiators.”

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Ultimately, Kanavel hopes her participation in Miss USA will show young girls that there is no limit to what they can do in life.

“You can do any career and be anything you want to be,” she said in the TPD’s release. “You can be all of the things you want to be.”

Miss USA airs Friday at 8 p.m. ET on the CW.

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