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The 30x30 Initiative is a program designed to increase the representation of women in law enforcement.
It’s gaining momentum as advocates and officials across the country join forces to promote gender equity within policing.
Launched in 2018 by a female police chief in Newark, New Jersey, the initiative aims to increase the percentage of women in police recruit classes to 30% by the year 2030—a significant leap from the current national average of approximately 12%.
Kansas City, Missouri, Police Chief Stacy Graves and the KCMO Police Department have joined in on those efforts.
Female officers currently make up 15% of the department. Chief Graves and the department hope to grow the percentage of female officers on the force to 30%.
“There’s no funner job or more fulfilling job,” said Graves. “I’m not saying every day is fun. You take the good times with the hard times. But those hard times give you perspective and compassion and really see the courage that some of the young women and men have to do the work that they do day in and day out. And I couldn’t be more privileged to be their Chief.”
At age 48, Graves became the 48th Police Chief in KCPD’s 148-year history and the first woman to serve as permanent chief.
“It’s absolutely a blessing to be the first female chief for the Kansas City Police Department,” Graves said. “I also hope that I’m also an inspiration to other women to either join the police force, or those who are already here, to rise through the ranks.”
Research shows police departments with higher representations of women are associated with improved community relations, enhanced problem-solving skills, and a reduction in the use of excessive force.
A diverse police force is better equipped to address the needs of all community members, making gender equity in law enforcement a crucial component of effective policing.
“You can do anything that a male can do, and we’ll all been able to show that,” said Officer Sutton Smith. “We can work right alongside them. I feel like females often have a little bit more empathy, they're able to speak to certain populations, especially females, female crime victims. So, we need you, we need you to come alongside us and work with us.”
Dianna Carmenaty is a retired cop. She joined the San Antonio police department in 1983 and faced criticism from her family, the community, and even her colleagues.
“I was breaking or going against the cultural rules for women at that time,” Carmenaty said. ‘Women were expected to fall into certain areas professionally and it certainly wasn’t law enforcement. Some of my coworkers were not hiding their feelings at all. So, they were very blunt in telling me I didn’t belong.”
Now she works at Park University as an assistant professor of criminal justice focusing on law enforcement. Her goal is to recruit more women into police departments.
“I was a single parent at the time and that just made it extremely difficult," she said. "But here I am, all ten fingers, both feet, I survived.”
KCPD and Park University have joined forces to recruit more women into the field.
They held a panel discussion Friday to discuss the initiative and all the possibilities for women in law enforcement.
