Melissa Hyatt
Former Police Chief, Baltimore County Police Department
Baltimore County, MD
Transcript
There’s an initiative called 30×30. It’s a new national initiative that just launched, so we’re going to be one of the first police departments signing on.
It’s for police departments, by 2030, to have 30% women coming in through their academy classes. We’re, as you all know, already above the national average. It’s just another positive thing for us as we’re trying to recruit for diversity across the department, to let people know that we want to bring in more women, we want to advance them in positions, get them in specialized units; we’re a friendly organization.
What’s cool is that 30% is attainable for us. And then, we’re all the older folks here, but by the time you two get up in your tenure, it’s a different looking agency. It’s us starting it now.
If there’s somebody with this initiative, a woman, who’s looking at different police departments, that they might look at Baltimore County and say “This is going to be a friendly place for me to stay.”
How we’re changing policing
The 30×30 Initiative is a coalition of police leaders, researchers, and professional organizations committed to advancing and supporting the representation, experiences, and well-being of women at all levels of law enforcement, both in the U.S. and beyond.
Research shows that women play a crucial role in building community trust, de-escalating conflict, and improving public safety outcomes, with evidence linked to reduced use of force and enhanced relationships with the communities they serve. However, women represent less than 14% of sworn officers and 20% of recruits in state and local law enforcement agencies. Additionally, about 40% of the approximately 18,000 law enforcement agencies in the U.S. have no full-time women officers (Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics).
We are collaborating with hundreds of agencies to make law enforcement a profession where qualified women who are drawn to it feel welcomed and supported while ensuring agencies address their unique needs and foster their success.