She was 22 when she walked into the Victoria Police academy on the 2005 Queen's Birthday public holiday.

Upon graduating, Sergeant Fitzgerald worked in general duties at Williamstown and St Kilda for five years before deciding she wanted more of a challenge.

"I wanted some intellectual stimulation and I'd always been interested in the law," Sergeant Fitzgerald said.

"I wanted to branch out from general duties and the prosecution course had a reputation of being the most difficult course in Victoria Police so I saw it as a challenge and a chance to do something completely different."

She loved prosecuting so much that she decided to study law part-time alongside her now husband Senior Sergeant Ross Fitzgerald.

The pair started studying in 2016 when their daughter was just six weeks old.

"I'd take her along to tutorials and exams in a baby carrier," Sergeant Fitzgerald.

The Fitzgeralds moved to Warrnambool in August 2019 and Sergeant Fitzgerald was admitted as a lawyer in March this year.

She said being a police officer, law student and mother was a "juggling act".

"Law is something I've been chipping away at for years, I had two babies during that time, and at times it was tough but it was something I was determined to do," Sergeant Fitzgerald said.

"I hope it's something my three girls (Elizabeth, Mary and Catherine) will look back on and be proud of."

After specialising in sex offences in Melbourne, Sergeant Fitzgerald said she had a strong "victim-focus" and hoped to promote fairness and equality through her work.

The new boss takes the reins from Sergeant Sandra Skilton, who retired in February after 35 years in the force and 15 years in the court.

Sergeant Fitzgerald said she looked forward to being part of the prosecuting team, which includes Senior Constable Kevin Mullins who has been prosecuting since the sergeant was in primary school.

"Kev and Harro (Senior Constable Paul Harris) have an amazing wealth of experience so I'm looking forward to working with them and finding my place in the team," Sergeant Fitzgerald said.

"Sandy was there for over 15 years so I feel like I have big shoes to fill.

"I'm really looking forward to the challenge, as well building new relationships with court staff, lawyers and other services such as corrections."

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can access our trusted content

Catch up on the headlines of the week with our weekly podcast The Booletin and Beyond released every Sunday:

Have you signed up to The Standard's daily newsletter and breaking news emails? You can register below and make sure you are up to date with everything that's happening in the south-west.

B CORONAVIRUS STORIES:

We have removed our paywall from our stories about the coronavirus. This is a rapidly changing situation and we aim to make sure our readers are as informed as possible. If you would like to support our journalists you can subscribe here.