Policing Agencies Join Growing National Coalition to Advance Women Officers

30x30 Initiative Launches Pledge to Improve the Representation and Experiences of Women in Policing 

MARCH 25, 2021 — Thirty-eight policing agencies across the country have signed the 30x30 Pledge, a series of no- and low-cost actions that policing agencies can take to improve the representation and experiences of women in all ranks. The Pledge is the foundational effort of the 30x30 Initiative, a coalition of police leaders, researchers and professional organizations, founded by the Policing Project at the New York University School of Law and the National Association of Women Law Enforcement Executives (NAWLEE), with support from Microsoft, and in partnership with national organizations such as the Police Executive Research Forum.

Participating agencies range from a half-dozen major metro departments including the New York City Police Department, to mid-sized, rural, university and state policing agencies. The 30x30 Initiative aims to have 250 agencies sign the pledge in its first year.

Currently, women make up only 12 percent of sworn officers and 3 percent of police leadership in the U.S. The goal of the 30x30 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 career. The 30x30 Initiative’s goal is to ensure policing agencies are truly representative of the communities they serve. While 30x30 is focused on advancing women in policing, these principles are applicable to all demographic diversity, not just gender.

The 30x30 Initiative’s work is based on the research-backed premise that women officers achieve better policing outcomes for communities. Social science research suggests that women officers:

  • Use less force and less excessive force

  • Are named in fewer complaints and lawsuits

  • Are perceived by communities as being more honest and compassionate

  • See better outcomes for crime victims, especially in sexual assault cases

  • Make fewer discretionary arrests, especially of non-white residents

Just, fair and legitimate policing requires gender equity. Despite compelling research about the critical importance of women officers and concerted efforts to improve representation, the number of women officers and leaders has remained stagnant for decades. The 30x30 Initiative aims to identify systemic barriers to women’s inclusion and success, and use research and evidence to dismantle these barriers and foster equitable, inclusive workplaces.

“The under-representation of women in policing is yet another issue in our current public safety crisis,” said Dr. Tracie Keesee, co-founder and Senior Vice President of the Center for Policing Equity. “The evidence is clear that improving gender parity in the police force will make us all safer. This work is vital to addressing some of the significant challenges facing U.S. law enforcement today.”

“Like so many industries with immense power and responsibility, policing has a gender problem. Gender inequity and lack of representation alone is reason enough to seek change – yet the work is even more urgent when you pair it with the fact that critical community outcomes are impacted by the lack of women in policing agencies,” said Maureen McGough, co-founder of 30x30 Initiative, Chief of Staff of the Policing Project at the New York University School of Law, and former policing expert at the U.S. Department of Justice. “This pledge is the first step in the ongoing work to cultivate a more inclusive culture in policing so that qualified women of all backgrounds can serve their community as sworn officers and leaders. Advancing women in policing will help everyone.”

“I’m deeply proud that the NYPD is among the first to sign the 30x30 pledge,” said Commissioner Dermot Shea of the New York City Police Department. “And I hope that our promise to advance women in policing inspires others to also give this important issue the attention it demands.”

“Research and experience tell us that having women in policing, at all ranks, makes agencies more representative of their communities and more nimble, inclusive and effective,” said Chuck Wexler, the Executive Director of the Police Executive Research Forum. “As PERF continues to study issues surrounding women in police leadership, we applaud the 30x30 Initiative for its work at diversifying and improving American policing.”

“Four years ago, I began training women in public parks to prove that women could pass fitness assessments through mentoring, instead of using the test as a mechanism to weed them out,” said retired Newark Police Chief and 30x30 Initiative co-founder Ivonne Roman. “Now, the 30x30 Initiative will create a community of practice where similar ideas can be shared, research highlighted, and women advanced in all ranks – because representation matters.”

The police departments that have signed on to the pledge so far include:

  • Baltimore Police Department (MD)

  • Baltimore County Police Department (MD)

  • Bellevue Police Department (NE)

  • Boulder Police Department (CO)

  • Burlington Police Department (VT)

  • Charleston Police Department (SC)

  • Charlottesville Police Department (VA)

  • Denton Police Department (TX)

  • Denver Police Department (CO)

  • Fayetteville Police Department (NC)

  • Hazel Crest Police Department (IL)

  • Iowa Department of Public Safety (IA)

  • Kearney Police Department (NE)

  • Las Vegas Department of Public Safety (NV)

  • Lincoln Police Department (NE)

  • Long Beach Police Department (CA)

  • Madison Police Department (WI)

  • Manchester Police Department (NH)

  • Marshalltown Police Department (IA)

  • Mesa Police Department (AZ)

  • METRO Police Department (TX)

  • Metropolitan Nashville Police Department (TN)

  • Milford Police Department (CT)

  • New Orleans Police Department (LA)

  • New York City Police Department (NY)

  • Philadelphia Police Department (PA)

  • Redlands Police Department (CA)

  • Richmond Police Department (CA)

  • Sarpy County Sheriff's Office (NE)

  • Schenectady Police Department (NY)

  • Tucson Police Department (AZ)

  • University of Colorado Boulder Police Department (CO)

  • University of Texas Police at Houston (TX)

  • University of Wisconsin-Madison Police Department (WI)

  • Urbandale Police Department (IA)

  • Vallejo Police Department (CA)

  • Vermont State Police (VT)

  • Waukee Police Department (IA)

For more information, visit www.30x30initiative.org.