KANSAS CITY, Mo. — By 2030, 30% of the sworn officers in the Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department will be women, according to a pledge by Mayor Quinton Lucas and Interim Chief of Police Joseph Mabin.
Lucas and Mabin, alongside KCPD Deputy Chief Karen True made the announcement on Wednesday evening.
The pledge is a part of the 30x30 Initiative, which aims to increase the amount of women representation in KCPD.
“Kansas City is ahead of the national curve when it comes to recruiting and retaining women police officers, but there is still much work to be done to make sure our department reflects the diverse Kansas City community,” Lucas said in a press release. “Women have been underrepresented in policing for generations, and still only make up a small percentage in police departments across the nation, including within the Kansas City Police Department."
According to the city, nearly 15% of sworn officers in Kansas City are women.
In KCPD, 15% of sworn officers are women in leadership roles, the city said.
“Our goal is to not only double women’s representation at the Kansas City Police Department, but to ensure our Department’s culture and policies promote an inclusive and diverse workforce for everyone,” Mabin said. “We’re looking forward to hearing from the women in our Department, addressing the barriers they may face, and supporting the advancement of women in our department.”
As part of the initiative, Lucas and KCPD will host confidential listening sessions for women officers to discuss how to recruit and retain women in the department.
“We understand there are obstacles excluding women from a career in public safety, or even from advancing to a leadership position, including shift work and lack of access to childcare,” True said. “We hope to gain some insight into the challenges preventing women from joining the force and create policy to improve their experiences and help us improve how we recruit them.”
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