• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • About
  • The Magazine
  • Events
  • Partners
  • Products
  • Advertise
  • Contact
  • Jobs and Careers
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Subscribe
American Police Beat

American Police Beat Magazine

Law Enforcement Publication

  • Home
  • Editor’s Picks
    • Improve your pistol-handling skills
      What you need to know about automatic license plate readers
      Do cops need more training?
      Why every agency needs a polygraph examiner
      Seeking the right kind of help
  • Topics
    • On the Job
      • San Diego County Sheriff’s Department unveils new night-flying...
        Security guard and former police chief killed in New Hampshire...
        San Diego County Sheriff’s Department unveils new night-flying...
        Toddler fires mom’s gun inside Ohio Walmart store
        Heroic K-9 unit honored at National Dog Show for role in capturing...
    • Labor
      • LAPD union files lawsuit against city over delayed pay raises
        “You can’t play politics with public safety”
        “It’s going to be extremely painful for New Yorkers”
        California Highway Patrol officers set to receive significant salary...
        Seattle City Council approves new agreement with police union
    • Tech
      • NYPD explores cutting-edge drone detection vehicle to enhance city...
        The use of military assets by U.S. police
        What you need to know about automatic license plate readers
        Why every agency needs a polygraph examiner
        North Carolina schools, businesses to beef up active shooter security...
    • Training
      • Ballistic shields in patrol operations
        Four things you need to know to control escalation
        Series of fires in Los Angeles County Sheriff’s mobile shooting...
        Using learning factors to influence your performance
        Lancaster Police Department introduces agility course in recruitment...
    • Policy
      • L.A. City Council seeks to require police permits for short-term...
        “Hate has no place in Massachusetts”
        “No child should be unsafe in their own city”
        Federal court rules Pennsylvania township’s ban on thin blue line...
        Texas House passes controversial immigration bill
    • Health/Wellness
      • Harnessing our strength: Post-traumatic growth
        Scientifically proven ways for cops to thrive
        The depression–anger cycle
        What does it mean to be a sheepdog?
        Depression screening
    • Community
      • Off-duty first responders save friend’s life after he experiences...
        New Jersey departments unite for No Shave November
        The nobility of serving
        “The smile is a universal language”
        THC-infused candy incident raises safety concerns in California city
    • Offbeat
      • 12-year-old boy arrested after stolen forklift chase in Ann Arbor
        Bizarre police chase ends with suspect trapped in porta potty
        Jewelry store heist ends in high-speed chase and mystifying response...
        Massachusetts community steps in to protect black bear “Pumpkin”...
        Florida moms call cops on school librarians for distributing...
    • We Remember
      • Charlotte bridge dedicated to first female casualty in...
        Birmingham community mourns passing of its first Black police...
        “For those who suffered in silence and were lost”
        “You’re my hero”
        Manhattan Beach police officer and Las Vegas shooting survivor...
  • On the Job
    • San Diego County Sheriff’s Department unveils new night-flying...
      Security guard and former police chief killed in New Hampshire...
      San Diego County Sheriff’s Department unveils new night-flying...
      Toddler fires mom’s gun inside Ohio Walmart store
      Heroic K-9 unit honored at National Dog Show for role in capturing...
  • Labor
    • LAPD union files lawsuit against city over delayed pay raises
      “You can’t play politics with public safety”
      “It’s going to be extremely painful for New Yorkers”
      California Highway Patrol officers set to receive significant salary...
      Seattle City Council approves new agreement with police union
  • Tech
    • NYPD explores cutting-edge drone detection vehicle to enhance city...
      The use of military assets by U.S. police
      What you need to know about automatic license plate readers
      Why every agency needs a polygraph examiner
      North Carolina schools, businesses to beef up active shooter security...
  • Training
    • Ballistic shields in patrol operations
      Four things you need to know to control escalation
      Series of fires in Los Angeles County Sheriff’s mobile shooting...
      Using learning factors to influence your performance
      Lancaster Police Department introduces agility course in recruitment...
  • Policy
    • L.A. City Council seeks to require police permits for short-term...
      “Hate has no place in Massachusetts”
      “No child should be unsafe in their own city”
      Federal court rules Pennsylvania township’s ban on thin blue line...
      Texas House passes controversial immigration bill
  • Health/Wellness
    • Harnessing our strength: Post-traumatic growth
      Scientifically proven ways for cops to thrive
      The depression–anger cycle
      What does it mean to be a sheepdog?
      Depression screening
  • Community
    • Off-duty first responders save friend’s life after he experiences...
      New Jersey departments unite for No Shave November
      The nobility of serving
      “The smile is a universal language”
      THC-infused candy incident raises safety concerns in California city
  • Offbeat
    • 12-year-old boy arrested after stolen forklift chase in Ann Arbor
      Bizarre police chase ends with suspect trapped in porta potty
      Jewelry store heist ends in high-speed chase and mystifying response...
      Massachusetts community steps in to protect black bear “Pumpkin”...
      Florida moms call cops on school librarians for distributing...
  • We Remember
    • Charlotte bridge dedicated to first female casualty in...
      Birmingham community mourns passing of its first Black police...
      “For those who suffered in silence and were lost”
      “You’re my hero”
      Manhattan Beach police officer and Las Vegas shooting survivor...
  • Between the Lines
    • Debunking the perpetual narrative of racial bias in policing
      The unspoken truth behind the recruitment and retention crisis
      The police reform goal: use of force without options
      The imprisonment of law enforcement technology
      Persecution of the LEO is classic schadenfreude
  • About
  • The Magazine
  • Events
  • Partners
  • Products
  • Advertise
  • Contact
Search

Labor

D.C. mayor, police pledge to hire more female police officers

APB Team Published March 9, 2022 @ 3:00 pm PST

iStock.com/Roberto Galan

Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser and police officials have laid out a plan to hire more female police officers.

The D.C. Metro Police Department recently joined in the “30 x 30 Pledge,” an initiative by law enforcement agencies across the country to increase female recruits in academy classes by 30% by 2030.

Nearly 150 agencies across the country have taken the pledge so far.

D.C. Police Chief Robert J. Contee III said he hopes to make his department “the most equitable agency for women in the law enforcement field.”

Currently, 23% of the agency’s sworn officers are women, which is above the national average of 12%. However, Contee wants to close the gap further.

Mayor Bowser said the plan is already underway, with the most recent police recruit class made up of 52% women.

In addition, the department’s cadet program — a pipeline for citizens to join the force — was roughly half female.

Assistant Chief Morgan C. Kane said that she was grateful for the opportunities the department provided for her.

The 23-year D.C. police veteran said her experience at the agency has been “filled with opportunities and experiences I never could have imagined,” and added that the force “provides unrivaled opportunities” for women.

 “Your work ethic will be recognized and propel you to great things,” she said.

The pledge to hire more women comes after a federal lawsuit was filed by female police officers alleging that the department has a police culture that “degrades women,” and seeking damages for two decades of discrimination, sexual harassment and retaliation for speaking out about it.

The group of women making the claims were also present at the mayor’s announcement.

Assistant Chief Chanel Dickerson, one of the plaintiffs, still encouraged other women to join the force.

“MPD changed the trajectory of my life. I will be forever grateful. It took me from a path of hopelessness to one of resilience. I have served this community with grit and grace and compassion and empathy. Women are needed in this profession to help it evolve,” she stated.

Kane did not address specific issues related to the lawsuit, but said the department has come a long way over the years.

“But I will say that in 2022, it is a different agency than even when I came on in 1998. It has evolved, and it has grown,” she said.

Contee also promised to hire a female chief equity officer. He said the officer will “ensure that our policies and procedures are free of all bias, promote equitable hiring, retention and promotion of women officers and ensure that our culture is inclusive, respectful and supportive of women.”

In addition to hiring more women, Bowser called for increasing the total number of officers on the force. The mayor said she hopes to reach the goal set in 2019 to have at least 4,000 officers on duty — a goal that was put on the back burner after her administration froze hiring for two years following the death of George Floyd and the rise of the “defund the police” movement.

“We cannot endure another year of not hiring,” Bowser said. The mayor plans to recommend the changes at the D.C. Council’s upcoming budget session.

Categories: Labor Tags: equity, Pledge, Muriel Bowser, Robert J. Contee III, recruiting, lawsuit, discrimination

Primary Sidebar

Recent Articles

  • L.A. City Council seeks to require police permits for short-term rentals
  • 12-year-old boy arrested after stolen forklift chase in Ann Arbor
  • “Hate has no place in Massachusetts”
  • Bill Alexander Named CEO of National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund
  • Charlotte bridge dedicated to first female casualty in Charlotte-Mecklenburg P.D. history
  • Bizarre police chase ends with suspect trapped in porta potty
  • “No child should be unsafe in their own city”
  • San Diego County Sheriff’s Department unveils new night-flying firefighting helicopter
  • Security guard and former police chief killed in New Hampshire Hospital shooting
  • San Diego County Sheriff’s Department unveils new night-flying firefighting helicopter

Footer

Our Mission
To serve as a trusted voice of the nation’s law enforcement community, providing informative, entertaining and inspiring content on interesting and engaging topics affecting peace officers today.

Contact us: info@apbweb.com | (800) 234-0056.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram

Categories

  • Editor’s Picks
  • On the Job
  • Labor
  • Tech
  • Training
  • Policy
  • Health/Wellness
  • Community
  • Offbeat
  • We Remember
  • Jobs and Careers
  • Events

Editor’s Picks

Improve your pistol-handling skills

Improve your pistol-handling skills

October 21, 2023

What you need to know about automatic license plate readers

What you need to know about automatic license plate readers

October 20, 2023

Do cops need <em>more</em> training?

Do cops need more training?

October 17, 2023

Why every agency needs a polygraph examiner

Why every agency needs a polygraph examiner

October 16, 2023

Privacy Policy | Your Privacy Options | Notice at Collection | Copyright © 2023 APB Media, LLC | Website design, development and maintenance by 911MEDIA

Open

Subscribe

Close

Receive the latest news and updates from American Police Beat directly to your inbox!

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.