• Overall, women make up less than 13% of full-time police officers in the U.S.
• Only 9% of women that have children under six years have a career in law enforcement.
• Women hold only 5.6% of the top command positions. The lack of investigative promotability is a direct result from a lack of childcare options.

Traditional strategies for recruitment frequently overlook an entire pool of potential applicants – women. Child care in law enforcement must be a priority to make policing accessible to all.

Given the many complex challenges facing modern police agencies, the advantages of hiring more women, especially Black and Latina, have never been more apparent. However, women will inevitably remain under- represented at the current hiring rate unless traditional practices are changed substantially and innovatively.

The good news is that changes in quality-of-life benefits can dramatically impact the recruitment and retention of women police officers.

Based on both research and practical experience, there is every reason to believe that such changes will benefit women within the police profession, their male counterparts, the larger police organization, and the communities they serve.

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