Woman becomes Fulton County correctional officer at age 61
FULTON COUNTY, N.Y. April 26 2019 – At 61, Robin Winchell wanted to try something new.
“Something in me said it’s not time to retire. And I needed a change,” Robin said.
After working as a security guard, she says the barbed wire and holding cells are a big change here.
“It’s gonna keep me tough and on my toes,” Robin said.
She’s not the oldest correctional officer at the Fulton County Correctional Facility, but she’s one of the newest. She just finished basic corrections school last week. She was the oldest in her class.
“It was a little intimidating at first but by the end of the six weeks she called me grandma, so that felt kinda cool,” Robin said.
She says the training tested her.
“We had to get pepper sprayed. You had to run a mile and a half. So that was challenging,” Robin said.
Sheriff Richard Giardino says Robin’s oldest CO he’s ever hired, and that her willingness to do this kind of job is commendable.
“People would not want to take on a difficult job in a situation where every day you are locked in,” Giardino said.
Robin says she may work by herself some days, but she says the best part about her new job is that every day is different.
She says more women should give this a try, regardless of their age and she says she won’t be hanging up the radio anytime soon.
“I’m not one to sit home on a couch, so I have to keep busy,” Robin said.
Robin is working part-time, but Sheriff Giardino says he has a full-time position open.
WRGB
