New York Takes ‘Pledge’ Plans To Hire More Women Officers

A number of New York organizations are pledging to hire more woman officers across the state.

Over the weekend, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced that the Department of Environmental Conservation and Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation have joined State Police and other police departments across the country by committing to the "30x30 Pledge" to add more women to the ranks of Environmental Conservation Police Officers, Forest Rangers, and Park Police Officers.

"New York's police agencies are stronger and more effective when they reflect the diversity of the New Yorkers they serve," Hochul said. "I applaud DEC and State Parks for making this important commitment to recruiting more women among their ranks, and I encourage all who are interested to take advantage of the opportunity to have a profound and positive impact on the lives of others by joining this law enforcement community."

The 30x30 Pledge is a series of actions policing agencies are taking to improve the representation and experiences of women in law enforcement. These activities help agencies assess the current state of gender equity and develop strategies to eliminate barriers that prevent the advancement of women in policing, including recruitment, assessment, hiring, retention, promotion, and agency culture officials say.

"We are grateful to DEC and State Parks for being among the first agencies in the nation to commit to being a part of this growing movement. We believe strongly that advancing women in policing is critical to improving public safety outcomes. We look forward to having more agencies follow the DEC and State Parks' lead by signing the pledge and improving the representation and experiences of women in policing," Co-Founder of the 30x30 Initiative Maureen McGough said.

The ultimate goal of the 30x30 Initiative is to reach 30 percent of women in police recruit classes by 2030 and to ensure policing agencies are truly representative of the jurisdiction the agency serves. While 30x30 is focused on advancing women in policing, these principles are applicable to all demographic diversities, not just gender.

Back in March, Hochul announced New York State Police took the pledge to boost the ranks of Troopers who are women. More than 160 agencies - from major metro departments including the New York City Police Department, to mid-sized, rural, university, and state policing agencies - have signed the 30x30 Pledge. The Pledge is based on social science research that greater represents women in police forces and leads to better policing outcomes for communities, according to Hochul's office.

To help add more women to the ranks, The Department of Environmental Conservation's (DEC) Divisions of Forest Protection and Law Enforcement are increasing outreach throughout New York State with career fairs and marketing campaigns, and will routinely use various social media platforms to highlight the unique and rewarding work new recruits can expect by joining DEC Forest Rangers or Environmental Conservation Police Officers.

"Every day, DEC's female Forest Rangers and Environmental Conservation Officers are hard at work, implementing some of the strongest environmental laws in the nation, protecting our natural resources, promoting environmental justice, and protecting communities from the existential threat of climate change. Taking the 30x30 Pledge recognizes both the work DEC has accomplished to date to support women in law enforcement at DEC, and the work that remains to increase the diversity and representation of DEC's staff overall," Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Basil Seggos said.