What do women bring to policing

Community policing is a philosophy that promotes organizational strategies which support the systematic use of partnerships and problem-solving techniques. It proactively addresses the immediate conditions that give rise to public safety issues such as crime, social disorder, and fear of crime.

When our recruits complete Academy Foundations Training, they hit the streets with a police training officer to carry out community policing duties in a patrol role. Part of this on-the-street training is to work on a problem-solving initiative in the area where they are stationed.

From day one, the EPS reinforces that problem-solving is an important part of the job. For more information, see the training page and What to Expect the First Year. Then in the s, some women police officers were allowed to work undercover in the Vice Squad to bust drug dealers and prostitution rings. But times were changing. Eventually a group of New York policewomen sued to be able to test for promotions.

After that, police departments across the U. That opened the door for women to become sergeants, lieutenants, and detectives. However, there is a great deal of variation in the percentages of women in different police agencies.

Women in law enforcement bring a lot to the job, including offering different ways of dealing with conflict. She says part of the recruiting effort was a very simple ad, but one that reached a broad spectrum of women.

And people would actually applaud when that came on, and the phones at the recruiting office would go crazy. Henderson, Portland's assistant chief, agrees with the strategy of broad-based recruiting, but she says it's also about changing the internal culture.

And that change is something she's seen firsthand in the Portland Police Bureau since she first joined the force in Streaming Now. Think Out Loud. Your browser does not support the audio element. OPB's First Look newsletter Sign up to get important news and culture from around the Northwest, delivered to your inbox six days a week. Listen to the OPB News live stream opens new window. Streaming Now Think Out Loud.