Law Enforcement

Administratively and academically, evaluating officers’ performance has been typically completed using simplified metrics such as the number of arrests made. Although these metrics fail to capture important nuanced details about officers’ contributions, they have been used to compare female officers to male officers. Notwithstanding demonstrated similarities in outcomes, evidence suggests that women perform some policing functions in entirely different ways than men.

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.

Increased attention has been given to police officer exposure to traumatic events as well as their prolonged involvement in stressful situations, environments, and working conditions. High stress can have precipitous negative effects on an individual’s mental health — including the onset of mental illnesses such as post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and/or anxiety. Moreover, research conducted in other fields of employment have shown that stress and stress-related disorders can cause problems with concentration, memory, and mood, which impacts workplace performance.