To truly impact the police field, women must attain leadership positions where they can make organizational decisions, affect culture, and inspire future generations. However, in 2013, women made up only 7 percent of police mid-level management and first line supervisors, and 2.7 percent of police chiefs in the United States. Due to a lack of research in this area, there is a limited understanding of the barriers and challenges that policewomen face in seeking promotions and navigating the upper ranks of law enforcement. In this webinar, Dr. Natalie Todak will cover existing evidence and promising directions for empirical research on this topic. Lieutenant Rachel Tolber of the Redlands, California Police Department will bring life to the evidence by drawing on first-hand experiences gained over the course of a 20-year police career.
In this webinar, attendees will gain the following information:
- An up-to-date snapshot of the status of women in leadership positions in U.S. policing;
- The benefits of promoting policewomen to leadership positions;
- The barriers hindering this progress;
- Important directions for future research; and
- Suggestions to police agencies for promoting women and improving their experiences in upper-level positions.