Diane Hansen :: Maryland State Police First Sergeant

First Sergeant (F/Sgt.) Diane T. Hansen is employed by the Maryland State Police and is currently assigned to the Education and Training Division, Police Academy Section. She is the coordinator of the Criminal Law Curriculum, which includes training in Criminal Law, Constitutional Law and Basic Criminal Investigation. In addition, Diane teaches coursework in handling calls for service dealing with mental health emergencies, and recently developed the Maryland State Police curriculum on the topic of Police Suicide Awareness, which has been disseminated throughout the agency via In-service training. Prior to her current assignment, Diane was assigned to Westminster Barracks in Carroll County, Maryland. During that time, she was both a criminal investigator and a road trooper and investigated a variety of crimes, including, but not limited to, assaults, burglaries, home invasions, robberies, missing persons, sex crimes, thefts and suicides. Diane also conducted traffic enforcement, motor vehicle collision investigations and DUI enforcement.

Diane graduated from the Maryland State Police Academy in April of 2007 while earning the number one ranking of her academy class. Thus far, she is the only female in the history of the Maryland State Police to achieve this title. There have been 145 Maryland State Police academy classes.

Prior to her career in law enforcement, Diane worked for seven years as a psychotherapist and substance recovery specialist for Chesapeake Connections located in Baltimore, Maryland. Chesapeake Connections provides intensive, wrap-around services for individuals who have severe and persistent mental illness. Diane’s job duties included the provision of both individual and group psychotherapy for adults dealing with symptoms of mental illness and addiction.

Diane earned her Master of Science degree in Counseling Psychology from Loyola University of Maryland, where she also had a concentration in Clinical Psychology. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication Arts from Villanova University, where she also had minors in Spanish and Women’s Studies. During her undergraduate training, Diane was inducted into the National Communication Association Honor Society, Lambda Pi Eta, and received a Student-Athlete award for her participation in Cross Country and Track.

Diane enjoys staying physically fit, particularly via running and high-intensity strength and conditioning workouts. She especially enjoys traveling & embarking on adventures with her husband, Jason and stepdaughter, Julie.

Speaker Statement:

At Girls Can Do, I will talk about overcoming fear and self-doubt on my path to achieving various goals in my life. Of greatest significance will be the discussion of my transition from functioning in the safety and comfort of an office environment to patrolling the streets as a law enforcement officer, having earned the title of  Maryland State Trooper.