Ernest Morales III

Transcript

I’m Chief Ernest Morales III of the Metro Transit Police Department in Minnesota. On June 23, 2023 – it was my privilege to sign onto the 30×30 Initiative to advance women in policing. I’ve made it one of my key priorities to reach the goal of having 30% female representation in our sworn officer ranks by the year 2030. Right now, in the U.S. – women make up only 12% of sworn officers – with just 3% in leadership roles. Here at the MTPD, I’m proud to report that 22% of our force is female and women make up more than a third of our Command Staff – making us a leader when it comes to representation in law enforcement in the state of Minnesota.

Since signing the 30×30 Initiative, we’ve re-envisioned the core values of our department – which puts the utmost importance on establishing a culture that is inclusive, respectful, and focuses first on the well-being of our officers. This means financially supporting requests for additional training and education to help them grow professionally. And on a more personal level – this means respecting childcare and family needs. I encourage every department to join us and the 30×30 Initiative. This effort goes far beyond our singular agencies. This is about evolving the institution of policing as a whole – to ensure every police force better represents the population they serve. Once we achieve that – we can have deeper, more meaningful relationships with our communities and better serve those we’re sworn to protect.