Charleston Police Department pledges to advance women

The Charleston Police Department has signed on to the National 30x30 Pledge, which aims to bring more women into policing to improve public safety, community outcomes, and trust in law enforcement.

 

The activities of this pledge help assess the current state of a department with regard to gender equity, identify any factors driving any disparities, and develop and implement strategies and solutions to eliminate barriers and advance women in policing. These

actions address recruitment, assessment, hiring, retention, promotion, and agency culture.

 

The pledge is based on social science research that greater representation of women on police forces leads to better policing outcomes for communities and is the foundational effort of the 30x30 Initiative.

 

The ultimate goal of the 30x30 Initiative is to reach 30% of women in police recruit classes by 2030, and to ensure agencies are truly representative of the jurisdiction the agency serves. While 30x30 is focused on advancing women in policing, these principles are applicable to all demographic diversity, not just gender.

 

“This pledge means that the CPD is actively working toward improving  the representation and experiences of women officers in our agency,” states Chief of Police Luther T. Reynolds. “We are honored to be among the first in the nation to make this critical commitment, and we look forward to working  with and learning from agencies across the country who share our priority.”

 

Currently at the Charleston Police Department, women account for 17% of all sworn officers, 17% of the most recent police recruit class, and 19% of the command staff. Nationally, women make up only 12% of sworn officers and 3% of police leadership.

 

Maureen McGough, co-founder of the 30x30 Initiative and chief of staff of the Policing Project at the New York University School of Law, said, “We are grateful to the Charleston Police Department for being one of the first in the nation to commit to being a part of this growing movement. We believe strongly that advancing women in policing is critical to improving public safety outcomes. We look forward to having more agencies follow the CPD’s lead by signing the pledge and improving the representation and experiences

of women in policing.”

 

For more information, visit 30x30initiative.org.

 

— Provided by the Charleston Police Department