Policing agencies—and how they operate—have been the focus of a groundswell of renewed reform efforts. Yet at a time when the U.S. is grappling with a public safety crisis that calls for a re-imagining of public safety and extensive examination of what police officers are doing, less attention is being given to who police officers are.
Currently women make up only 12% of sworn police officers and less than 3% of police leadership in the U.S., numbers that have remained stagnant for decades.
This underrepresentation of women in policing has significant public safety implications. Social science research strongly suggests the advancement of women officers is associated with improved outcomes for both policing agencies and the communities they serve. In fact, the research is clear that women officers:
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
The simple truth is policing agencies desperately need more women, and in particular, women who reflect the diversity of the communities they serve.
The 30x30 Initiative is a coalition of police leaders, researchers, and professional organizations, including the founding partners Policing Project and NAWLEE (National Association of Women Law Enforcement Executives), as well as the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF), Law Enforcement Action Partnership (LEAP), National Police Foundation, and the International Association of Women Police, who have joined together to advance the representation and experiences of women in policing agencies across the United States.
Our goal 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 women officers throughout their careers.
The 30x30 Pledge
The 30x30 Initiative in the News
- NYPD Making Progress Bringing In And Promoting Women, But It Still Has A Lot Of Work To Do (CBS New York)
- Want to reform the police? Hire more women
(CBS New York)
- Women in Police Reform: Why We Need More Women Police (Cosomopolitan)
- Can More Women Officers Solve America’s Policing Crisis? (The Crime Report)
- Reducing Crime Podcast: Interview with Maureen McGough (Reducing Crime)
Timed to honor and celebrate Women's History Month, the 30x30 Initiative will officially launch on Thursday, March 25, 2021. However, this critical conversation surrounding the importance of the advancement of women—and more broadly, the importance of improving representation within policing agencies—has already begun.
More than 20 agencies—from a half dozen major metro departments including the New York City Police Department, to mid-sized, rural, university, and state policing agencies—have already signed onto the 30x30 Pledge, the foundational effort of the 30x30 Initiative. The pledge reflects a public commitment by participating agencies to improve the representation and experiences of women in sworn positions in all ranks of law enforcement.
Built from evidence from social science researchers, and developed and vetted by a group of law enforcement leaders and academic experts, the 30x30 Pledge calls on policing agencies to commit to a series of no- and low-cost actions that are critical to a) understand the current state of an agency with regards to gender equity, b) understand factors that may be driving any disparities, and c) develop and implement strategies and solutions to advance women in policing.
The 30x30 Initiative is actively recruiting agencies to be among the very first to sign the pledge and demonstrate to the field—and the public—that policing is ready and willing to address the gender disparities that have existed since the profession’s founding. Interested agencies wishing to learn more can contact Policing Project Chief of Staff Maureen McGough at maureen.mcgough@nyu.edu.