Women in Law Enforcement

Moving into the 21st century, the number of women entering the law enforcement profession has remained stagnant. Entities such as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and labor laws have protected women as they work alongside their male-counterparts. Congress and the anti-discrimination laws such as Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, including the Supreme Court decisions in Reed v. Reed and Griggs v. Duke Power Co. has allowed more women to break the barriers. Still, the lack of women in executive positions in law enforcement organizations remains. As society changes so should law enforcement to meet the needs of the changing community. Women in executive positions bring diversity, gender equality and different prospective to agencies. The benefits of women in law enforcement is crucial to the success and development of a department. The percentages of women in the executive level, captains and above have proven to be lower than men. When women make up 50.8 percent of the total population in the United States these percentages should be larger. In order to increase these numbers, the recruitment procedures and promotional exams need modifications. Law enforcement organizations should promote more women into executive positions. By increasing the number of female officers entering the profession during the recruitment phase, this increases the selection pool. Thus, providing agencies the opportunities to select qualified women into executive positions, law enforcement agencies will have the means to then better serve and protect the community in a more efficient process.