Across the country, more and more women are joining the ranks of Law Enforcement. Currently, women make up 11.6% of sworn officers in the Country, according to the latest FBI statistics. While that is a large boost from what they once were, there is still plenty of room for improvement.
RollKall’s Customer Success Manager, Randa Rhodes spent 13 years in Law Enforcement, both as a Crime Scene Investigator and sworn Officer. She believes over the years, more women are choosing to get into Law Enforcement.
“When I first started, I was the only female at my department,” Rhodes said. “Now, that Department has five full-time female officers.”
In her experience as an Officer, she often had to face people in the community who didn’t like a woman being in a position of authority.
“Sometimes there is still a bit of an attitude that women don’t belong in Law Enforcement, they don’t want to hear from you. It teaches you to be assertive and demand the respect you deserve.”
While only further exposure and education can alter the attitude of the general public towards female officers, Rhodes does believe that departments can take steps to help the situation internally.
“In my opinion it’s a mix of police administration making it more accessible for women to become Officers with concerted recruitment efforts, and women in general realizing how impactful they can be as Officers.”
She said that in certain situations like domestic violence and sexual assault calls, female officers are able to provide comfort and reassurance to victims.
“Nine times out of ten, a female victim of domestic violence or a sexual assault doesn’t want to be around another man after experiencing something horrific like that. The bad part about Police work in general is that it can make you a bit jaded. Women are cognizant of the victim in these situations and make such a tremendous difference.”
Overall, Rhodes believes that women will continue to become a more represented population in police forces across the country, and truly values the time she spent in law enforcement.
“I absolutely loved my time in Police work and most days left feeling like I made a difference in someone’s life. I hope more and more women will continue to join.”
RollKall thanks each and every one of our women in blue, and feels so grateful to have the opportunity to serve you. Happy International Women’s Day.
