Despite making up 60% of the U.S. workforce, women only make up 12% of sworn officers and 3% of police leadership. The underrepresentation of various demographics in policing, including gender, has continuously proven to impact public safety.
Research shows women officers use less force and excessive force and make fewer arrests. A 2021 study of the Chicago Police Department found its female law enforcement officers use force 28% less often than their male counterparts and make 7% fewer arrests.
Research also shows women officers are named in fewer complaints and lawsuits, are perceived by communities as being more honest and compassionate, and see better outcomes for crime victims, especially in sexual assault cases.
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“It is absolutely critical to have women working in criminal justice,” Jennifer Montoya, a criminal investigator with the Department of Defense and a graduate of the University of San Diego’s M.S. in Law Enforcement & Public Safety Leadership program, said during an interview with the University of San Diego Online. “For example, with sexual assault cases, the victim might want to talk to a woman. But that can’t always happen because there aren’t enough females in the department and it ends up affecting the mission. These are human beings we are dealing with. Sexual assault is an extremely sensitive issue, and we need to be able to act humanely.”
To advance women in policing and improve public safety, a coalition of police leaders, researchers, and professional organizations started the 30×30 Initiative.
What is the 30×30 Initiative?
The ultimate goal of the 30×30 Initiative is to increase the representation of women in police recruit classes to 30% by 2030, and to ensure police policies and culture intentionally support the success of qualified women officers throughout their careers. The 30×30 Initiative is based on the importance of achieving at least 30% representation to empower a group to influence an organization’s culture, according to its website.
While 30×30 is focused on advancing women in policing, the coalition says its principles are applicable to all demographic diversity, not just gender.
Black women and other women of color, in particular, face significant bias and discrimination in law enforcement. Transgender and non-conforming officers also face discrimination on the basis of their gender identity and presentation, and mothers or expectant mothers may require a modified schedule or certain physical accommodations.
“There is no universal experience of being a woman in law enforcement. Each of a woman officer’s many identities — race and ethnicity, class, gender, sexual orientation, religion, ability, and more — defines her experience, and often multiplies her exposure to discrimination,” says 30×30. “It is critical that participating agencies focus on increasing the representation of all women. They must account for the diverse experiences of women of all backgrounds and life experiences to better promote the creation of a diverse and inclusive workplace for everyone.”
What Universities Are Participating in the 30×30 Initiative?
For schools, universities, and hospitals, 44% of their security or campus police departments have 10% or fewer female employees in them, according to Campus Safety’s 2018 Salary and Benefits Survey. More than four out of five said women made up less than 30% of their employees.
There is also a significant disparity in wages among genders. According to the survey, in 2018, the median salary of female chiefs and directors was $67,500 compared to $77,500 for male chiefs and directors. Additionally, more than 50% of security or campus police departments had 10% or fewer minority employees.
Over 350 agencies are participating in the 30×30 Initiative. Among those agencies are more than 80 college and university police departments, including the University of Delaware Police. UDPD is one of only three Delaware police departments to join 30×30 as a partnering agency, according to UDaily.
“Education is the root of our mission at the University of Delaware, and that’s why our department believes so strongly in partnering with the 30×30 Initiative,” said Patrick Ogden, associate vice president and chief of UDPD. “It’s important that we at UDPD join efforts with 30×30 to educate others about the valuable contributions of women officers in their departments and in their communities around the country, and bring significant change to the composition of police departments by 2030.”
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The UDPD employs 13 women officers, including Master Corporal Shannon Hummel. Hummel is a minority in the force as both a woman and an Asian-American.
“I’ve always felt welcome and supported here,” she told UDaily. “I had a baby in 2021, and when I needed a pumping room, my male sergeant emailed me right away to ask what kind of mini-fridge I wanted. I’ve never felt any roadblocks.”
Master Corporal Alaina Battle has been with UDPD for more than 15 years and currently oversees the department’s emergency care unit, a volunteer student-run ambulance that serves UD and the surrounding Newark community. She also serves as one of UDPD’s team leaders for its crisis negotiations team.
Lieutenant Adrienne Benevento is the department’s highest-ranking woman and UDPD’s special operations commander. She oversees the operational needs of the department that fall outside the scope of patrol, including the Criminal Investigation Unit, the Community Resource Unit, and special event planning.
“I don’t come from a police family and I didn’t have any women role models in policing. This agency has given me experience, opportunity, and fulfillment. It’s everything I could have hoped for,” Benevento told UDaily. “My mom and dad have attended every one of my promotion ceremonies, and when I reached lieutenant, it became clear to me how important it was to have a woman in this rank. There are women viewing me as a mentor, someone who will always look out for them and stand up for them. I take that role very seriously. I sometimes ask myself, ‘How did I get this opportunity?’ Then, I remember that I earned it.”
Making the Pledge to Increase Women in Policing
Interested in joining the 30×30 Initiative? The 30×30 Pledge is a series of no- or low-cost actions campuses can take to report their efforts to identify and address the obstacles women officers face in recruitment and throughout their careers.
The actions are categorized as “essential,” “strongly recommended,” and “recommended,” and reflect what police leaders, researchers, and industry experts have indicated are critical to gender equity.
Agencies who sign the pledge have agreed to:
- Take measures to increase the representation of women in all ranks of law enforcement;
- Ensure that policies and procedures are free of all bias;
- Promote equitable hiring, retention and promotion of women officers; and
- Ensure their culture is inclusive, respectful, and supportive of women in all ranks and roles of law enforcement.
Learn more about pledging by visiting www.30x30initiative.org/the-30×30-pledge/.
Recruiting and Retaining Female Employees in Campus Law Enforcement
Want to hear directly from female campus law enforcement leaders about their efforts to recruit and retain female employees? Former University of Illinois Chief of Police and current Town of Silverthorne (Colo.) Chief of Police Alice Cary, now-retired Los Angeles School Police Department Chief Leslie Ramirez, and SRMC Consultant Marilyn Hollier spoke with Campus Safety about the topic in 2022.
In the interview, these women discussed:
- Additional reasons why campus public safety departments should hire more women (2:30)
- Why more women aren’t in campus law enforcement and security (6:23)
- Some of the strategies they’ve adopted to not only recruit women but also ways to make female officers successful in their careers so that they will stay in campus security and policing (11:09)
- Creating an environment that is attractive to potential female officers (19:43)
- How men can support women in security and law enforcement (31:50)
