(COLUMBUS, Ohio) – At its inaugural Women’s Law Enforcement Symposium today, the Ohio Office of Law Enforcement Recruitment, a division of the Ohio Department of Public Safety’s Office of Criminal Justice Services (OCJS), shared resources and best practices to develop comprehensive strategies to recruit and retain women in Ohio law enforcement. The event occurred on International Women’s Day.
“Law enforcement agencies are some of the most visible government agencies in the country and should reflect the diversity within the communities they serve,” said Nicole Dehner, Executive Director of the Office of Criminal Justice Services. “We are proud to host the Women’s Law Enforcement Symposium by supporting local law enforcement agencies to not only recruit more women officers but also to retain them.”
Governor DeWine launched the Ohio Office of Law Enforcement Recruitment in 2020 to help Ohio’s law enforcement agencies with recruitment and retention, including encouraging more minorities and women to join the ranks.
During the symposium, law enforcement professionals heard from police chiefs, sheriffs, troopers, and law enforcement officers on recruitment and retention strategies during a panel presentation.
In addition, presenters from the Cincinnati Police Department provided perspective on recruiting and retaining women officers and being the first law enforcement agency in Ohio to sign the 30×30 Pledge, a nationwide effort to increase women in police recruit classes to 30% by 2030. The initiative also seeks to advance representation of women in all ranks of a department and to ensure police policies and culture intentionally support the success of qualified women throughout their careers. The Ohio Office of Law Enforcement Recruitment and OCJS joined with the various law enforcement organizations throughout the state to encourage more Ohio law enforcement agencies to sign the 30×30 pledge. The Ohio State Highway Patrol was one of the agencies that signed the pledge during the Symposium.
After the symposium, participants also had the opportunity to attend the Ohio Law Enforcement Job Fair and network with 25 law enforcement agencies from across the state.