Women and Minorities in Law Enforcement

Women and minorities employed as sworn police officers have increased over the years; however the increase in numbers do not reflect the equality in the work place. The amount of racial and ethnic minorities, in state and local agencies, have increased from 14.6 percent in 1987 to 23.6 percent in 2003. Women working as police officers have increased slightly from 7.6 percent in 1987 to 11.3 percent in 2003. This is not a direct reflection on the police agencies themselves; but rather the number of female candidates they have to choose from. More men apply for sworn positions than woman, therefore men have a greater chance at getting hired. Due to equal opportunity laws, police agencies in the United States must hire, without regard to race, sex, or sexual orientation.
Sex, race, and sexual orientation each play a role in the diversity of the workplace. A person’s biological sex refers to their natural organs, hormones, and chromosomes. Sexual orientation is how a person identifies themselves, physically, spiritually, and emotionally. Sexual orientation also has a direct result to who someone is attracted to. Race is described as a person’s physical characteristics, such as bone structure, hair, eyes, and other genetically adopted traits. Ethnicity commonly refers to a group of people who closely identify with each other according to nationality or cultural traditions. Race and ethnicity are both biologically and socially constructed; our society has painted a picture of how we should look at certain skin color or sexual preference.
Compared to white heterosexual males, female, racial, and ethnic minorities have reported having experienced some type of sexual harassment, hostility, and stress due to the unequal treatment at work. These behaviors range from social distance, sexual harassment, rumors, stigma based on appearance, lack of support, and rejection. Many police officers report these treatments to be a direct result of a performance decline, which deters people from gaining an interest in law enforcement. Others feel empowered by this kind of treatment and use it to motivate them to work harder and rise up the ranks.
There are benefits to being a female and minority in law enforcement as well. While male police officers may be stronger, larger, and more authoritative; this may result in an increased number of fights, pursuits, and gun battle. Female officers have the ability to communicate effectively, and use comforting tactics to pursue a suspect into custody. The life experience female, racial, and ethnic minorities have can benefit the department in terms of life experience and communication. Having the ability to speak more than one language is useful in communities with a higher percentage of racial and ethnic residents.
The position of a police officer is usually the bottom of the ranks. Many racial and ethnic minorities have been promoted to higher positions such as, sergeant, lieutenant, captains, and chiefs; although not yet equivalent to the white heterosexual male. Female officers, however, have a difficult time being promoted within the police force. According to the National Center for Women and Policing, in 2001, women occupied 9.6 percent of supervisory positions, in the United States, such as sergeants and lieutenants. In addition, females made up 7.3 percent of command positions such as police captains and chiefs. As statistically proven, female, racial, and ethnic minorities have increased over time; but are not anywhere near equal to white males in the police force. While progress continues, equality in the police force will not be achieved in the near future.

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