By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — The city’s police department wants to bolster the number of women in its ranks, setting forth a goal to more than double its percentage of female officers by 2030.
The Rockford Police Department has signed on to the 30×30 Pledge, an initiative that asks police agencies across the country to increase representation of women in policing. The benchmark is to have women make up 30% of police recruits by 2030.
Women make up about 14% of the Rockford Police Department’s sworn officers, which is higher than the national average of 12%, according to the department. Rockford is now recruiting entry-level officers.
“This pledge means that the Rockford Police Department is actively working toward improving the representation and experiences of women officers in our agency,” Rockford Police Chief Carla Redd said in a news release.
Redd was sworn in as the city’s 13th police chief in late August. She’s the first woman and first Black police chief in the city’s history. Across the country, women make up about 3% of police leadership, according to 30×30.
“We are honored to make this critical commitment and we look forward to working with and learning from agencies across the country who
share our priority,” Redd said.
Department news: Rockford police begin wearing body cameras
More than 100 agencies have signed onto the pledge, including large departments like New York City and college agencies like the University of Illinois. The measures it recommends have either no cost or little cost to departments, the group says.
“We are grateful to the Rockford Police Department for committing to being a part of this growing movement” Maureen McGough, co-founder of the 30×30 initiative, chief of staff of the Policing Project at the New York University School of Law and a former policing expert at the U.S. Department of Justice, said in a news release. “We believe strongly that advancing women in policing is critical to improving public safety outcomes. We look forward to having more agencies follow Rockford’s lead by signing the pledge and improving the representation and experiences of women in policing.”
This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on Twitter at @KevinMHaas.