By Spencer Bates
On Jan. 31 City of Oswego Mayor Billy Barlow revealed that the city police department will participate in the 30×30 initiative.
The goal of the project is to increase the representation of women in the police force through several low cost actions. Setting out to get 30% of police recruit classes to be women by the year 2030.
The initiative outlines practices that will make it so the police agency can identify problems, issues and areas within the department where diversity is lacking and where it can be improved. After identifying these areas different tactics will be implemented to right the course. According to a City of Oswego News Release, actions will address “recruitment, assessment, hiring, retention, promotion and agency culture.”
The initiative is the result of several leaders nationwide dedicated to the advancement of women in police forces and is associated with the National Association of Women Law Enforcement Executives (NAWLEE) and the NYU School of Law. Barlow spoke on how proud he was of the pledge and what he hopes will come as a result.
“I’m proud to enter the Oswego Police Department into the 30×30 Initiative and to take the pledge to hire more women police officers, advance women officers to leadership positions, and commit to ensuring 30% of the Oswego Police Department is female by 2030,” Barlow said. “We have already made a concerted [effort] to diversify our police force and improve our department through our police re-imagining plan adopted last year. Now, we take our efforts to the next level by using this initiative to firmly commit to long term goals.”
The pledge will build off of the the City of Oswego Police Reform and re-invention plan that was approved by the Oswego Common Council last year. This original plan was the result of an executive order by former Gov. Andrew Cuomo that all law enforcement departments needed to adopt a reform plan at the risk of losing funding. In a press release following the announcement of this original police reform plan, Barlow touted the good relationship the city has with the police force.
“The Oswego community at large respects and appreciates the Oswego Police Department and law enforcement and want to know our city is well protected,” Barlow said. “That is why our police-reinvention plan is designed to bring our officers closer to the community, allowing officers to better know our community and the people we serve. Our plan and new initiatives are thoughtful, balanced and designed to fit our community. I’m pleased to see our plan receive public support and unanimous approval from the Common Council and believe our plan, once fully implemented, will make our police department better, stronger and more prepared to serve our community than ever before.”
As of now, over 135 departments have signed the 30×30 initiative that was based on the idea that more women in a police force brings about better results associated with police activity in a community. Oswego City Police Chief Phillip Cady spoke about the honor it is to be one of the first in the nation to take the pledge.
“This pledge means that the Oswego City Police Department is actively working, under Mayor Barlow’s leadership, toward improving the representation and experiences of women officers in our agency,” Cady said. “We are honored to be among the first in the nation to make this critical commitment, and we look forward to working with and learning from agencies across the country who share our priority.”
According to the Pew Research Center, across the United States only 7% of officers in state police departments are women, only a 1% increase from over two decades ago when the Federal Bureau of Justice Statistics conducted a 50-state census. Pew also found that less than 13% of full-time officers in the nation are women.
While being the focal point of the initiative being advancing women in the police force, it is noted that the plan will also affect all other minority and underrepresented groups within the force. Ensuring that everyone has opportunities for advancement available to them.
Spencer Bates | The Oswegonian
