30×30 Announces New Collaboration with Department of Justice to Advance Women in Policing

Initiative promotes gender equity in law enforcement 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 9, 2022

WASHINGTON – The 30×30 Initiative to Advance Women in Policing announced a new collaboration with the U.S. Department of Justice yesterday as the first National Summit on Women in Law Enforcement concluded with a surprise visit by Attorney General Merrick Garland. Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta gave the keynote address.

“We are thrilled and honored that the Justice Department has embraced the 30×30 mission of advancing women in policing,” said Maureen McGough, co-founder of the 30×30 Initiative and Chief of Strategic Initiatives at the Policing Project at the New York University School of Law. “This collaboration signals the Department’s commitment to ensuring law enforcement policies and culture intentionally support the success of women officers throughout their careers.”

In May 2022, President Biden signed an executive order on “Advancing Effective, Accountable Policing and Criminal Justice Practices to Enhance Public Trust and Public Safety.” The order    calls for the strengthening of federal law enforcement recruitment, hiring, promotion, and retention practices, with a focus on promoting an inclusive, diverse, and expert law enforcement workforce. The collaboration announced today furthers this aim, with the ultimate goal of increasing public safety by ensuring that policing agencies reflect the populations they serve.

Currently, women make up only 12 percent of sworn officers and 3 percent of police leadership in the U.S. This underrepresentation of women in policing has significant public safety implications. Research suggests that women officers:

  • Use less force and less excessive force,

  • Are named in fewer complaints and lawsuits, and

  • Are perceived by communities as being more honest and compassionate.

30×30 will benefit from the Justice Department’s resources, platform, and convening authority to promote the initiative’s mission of reaching 30 percent female make-up of recruit classes by 2030, and improving the representation and experiences of women officers. While 30×30 is focused on advancing women in policing, its principles are applicable to all demographic diversity, not just gender.

Founded in March 2021 by McGough and Ivonne Roman, Former Chief of Police of the Newark Police Department, the 30×30 Initiative is a coalition of police leaders, researchers, and professional organizations who have joined together to advance the representation and experiences of women in all ranks of policing across the United States and Canada.

More than 200 agencies–ranging in size from major metropolitan police departments to smaller, rural agencies–have taken the 30×30 Pledge, a series of low- and no-cost actions policing agencies can take to improve the representation and experiences of women in law enforcement. The activities help policing agencies assess the current state of a department with regard to gender equity, identify factors that may be driving any disparities, and develop and implement strategies and solutions to eliminate barriers. These actions address recruitment, assessment, hiring, retention, promotion, and agency culture.

For more information, visit 30x30initiative.org.