Former detective trades decades of law enforcement experience for television, bringing authentic presence to CBS courtroom show
Beyond her professional achievements, Findley dedicates her time to prison ministry, mentoring incarcerated youth, and performing music at major venues.
How did your experience as a detective help prepare you for your role as bailiff on ‘Hot Bench’
The role of a bailiff is basically to maintain order in the court, enforce the rules of the court, to provide security and assist the judges. Transitioning over from the NYPD, I guess it helped me with my professional presence in the courtroom. It helped me with my voice, the voice I command in the room, and some of the training for de-escalating certain situations, so I think those things helped.
What drew you to join the ‘Hot Bench’ family, and how does it feel stepping into television after years in public service
To be honest, I didn’t know what ‘Hot Bench’ was before joining. So that’s a little fun fact. If I must be honest also, a friend of mine reached out to me and said that an agent had reached out to her, asking her to audition for this show, and it was something that she could not do. And she recommended me, and the rest is history. I’m excited that I’m here today.
You come from a background of both law enforcement and the arts. How has that balance of discipline and creativity shaped who you are today
As far as the art, it kind of correlates together somewhat, because when you’re in the arts, you’re on set or on sort of a stage, so you’re in front of people. I guess bringing some sort of presence as well, being able to have the discipline to show up every day, the discipline to be on time. Also, being able to deal with people, a lot of people from different backgrounds, ethnicities. And also being able to adjust to situations on the spot.
You have a day in your honor in New York City. What does this recognition mean to you personally and professionally
Well, speechless, if I would have to say, even with hearing you saying it right now, I’m still shocked that that happened. That’s not something I was even thinking about, or knew that was possible. Personally, to me, I guess the word would be humbled, very humbling to me, and as far as professionally, I would say deserving.
Judge Judy Sheindlin created ‘Hot Bench’ to showcase how justice is discussed and decided behind the scenes. What do you think makes this format resonate with viewers
I guess it kind of gives them an inside scoop, making them feel like they’re a part. Because in life, a lot of people, when decisions are made by a parent or superior, sometimes you don’t know why that decision was made. You just have to go with this is a decision I made, and that’s the end of the story.
But here, you’re able to sit back and actually see how they came up with that decision and why they made that decision. So I feel it makes people feel a part of something special.
Season 12 brings together a dynamic panel of judges. What is it like working alongside them on set
It’s amazing. It’s actually a great experience. They all are very welcoming, nice people behind the scenes, and on the scenes too. They all bring different personalities. So starting from the left of the bench, I would say Yodit, she’s like a subtle firecracker. Then we go to Rachel, she’s in the middle of the bench. I feel like she’s the balance, like the mama bear.
And then we go to Dan, who is unintentionally a pot stirrer. So that’s funny to me at times, because the way he thinks is outside of the box, different. It’s great to see how all their views come together in the end.
You’ve made a mark in music, performing the national anthem at major venues. How does music continue to inspire your life today
Music is a universal language. Something I believe everyone could take a little piece of and get an understanding. It does something to people. Whether it’s bringing people together for a celebration, whether it’s used for healing people who are sick, helping people mentally, emotionally, music is very powerful.
Gospel is my go-to, if I had a choice, because I believe in the message it brings. It’s a good message, it’s the true message, and it helps me, and I will forever use music to keep helping people.
You’ve spent time volunteering in prison ministry and mentored incarcerated youth. How does this experience influence your perspective on justice and redemption
This is dear to my heart because I feel like I always know that I have a heart for people. I also believe that most of us have experienced some sort of childhood trauma in life. I believe there’s a lot of decisions we make based on some of the things that we’ve gone through, and some of us have not got that chance to address it or become aware of it.
If I can be transparent, I’ve experienced some childhood traumas, and I see these incarcerated youth and I say to myself, is it because of something they’ve experienced that they didn’t get to address? It’s very important to me that I get the story across to them that this is not the end of their life, this doesn’t have to be their story, that it can be changed, it can be redeemed.
As a woman who’s broken barriers in law enforcement and now in television, what advice would you give young women pursuing careers in male-dominated fields
Well, first I would say to really know your passion, and know this is your calling. Whatever you choose to do, do it because you want to do it. And if you understand your why and what you do, then you’ll have a little bit more push to keep going.
Law enforcement is not for the weak of heart. You have to have a strong heart, you have to be strong mentally. So have a good support system. Know that I’m cheering you on, and that you can do it.
When audiences tune into ‘Hot Bench’ this season, what do you hope they take away from the show
What I love about this show is that they don’t exploit the cases, because this is entertainment, but they offer advice. So I hope people listen to the advice they give, the knowledge, they give a lot of information so that in the future, maybe, we won’t make those mistakes in our personal lives with whatever’s going on, or we can help someone else as well.
From my presence, for other law enforcement, or for people to see that you can enforce the rules of anything you’re doing, whether it’s in the court, wherever you are, and still be respectful towards people. I hope people see my light when they watch the show.
“Hot Bench” airs weekdays on CBS New York at 4 p.m. For other markets, check local listings. Follow Gina Findley on Instagram @belovedisshe_me.