NAPERVILLE, Ill. — They're tough women, armed with "brains, beauty and a badge."
There's Betsy, who boasts she can unload a full magazine from an assault rifle without breaking a nail, and Julie, a self-described "warrior woman" with the soft touch that can persuade a suspect to confess.
They're two of the stars of a new reality television series that began airing Sunday night on the Bio Channel.
And they're female cops — in Naperville?
"This show is not 'Desperate Housewives' with badges," insists Sgt. Betsy Brantner Smith, a 27-year veteran of the Naperville Police Department. "It's not 'CSI' — none of that is real. It's like 'COPS' in the suburbs goes home."
Called "Female Forces," the hourlong program, which airs at 9 p.m. Sundays, follows the department's 18 female officers on the job and at home, as they juggle their crime-fighting duties with the demands of family and sometimes complicated personal lives.
"We're moms, daughters, sisters, spouses and partners," says Smith, 49. "Some of us are dealing with aging parents or pregnancy. We're soccer moms and people who teach Sunday school and hunt and scrapbook. And, oh yeah, we have a badge and a gun."
Viewers will see the women chase bad guys, rescue pets and break up fights. Last night's episode even promised the possible use of a Taser. But it's not all work for these female police officers. Also on tap are a doughnut-eating contest, "battle of the sexes" paintball game and a budding inter-office romance.
"The show is fun, and we had fun doing it," says Smith. "But you also get to see our compassion and dedication."
