NCJ Number
182262
Date Published
1999
Length
21 pages
Annotation
Based on the third annual study of the National Center for Women and Policing, this report examines the status of women in policing and examines major barriers that prevent women from increasing their numbers in law enforcement.
Abstract
The study was conducted between July and November 1999. It surveyed 180 police agencies with 100 or more sworn officers, and 126 police agencies responded with information. The final sample included 56 municipal, 44 county, and 26 State police agencies. Women comprised 14.3 percent of all sworn law enforcement positions in municipal, county, and State law enforcement agencies in the United States with 100 or more sworn officers, and women of color held 6.8 percent of these positions. Over the past 9 years, the representation of women in law enforcement has increased by 5.3 percent, from 9 percent in 1990 to 14.3 percent in 1999. Gains for women in policing, however, are so slow that it will take several generations for women to reach equal representation or gender balance in police agencies. Women currently hold 5.6 percent of top law enforcement positions, 9.2 percent of supervisory positions, and 15.6 percent of line operation positions. Women of color hold 1.1 percent of top law enforcement positions, 2.8 percent of supervisory positions, and 7.8 percent of line operation positions. State agencies trail municipal and county agencies by a wide margin in hiring and promoting women. Police agencies with corrections personnel report women comprise 26.4 percent of all corrections positions, and women of color hold 14 percent of all corrections positions. Appendixes provide data on police women in the 126 police agencies and supplemental information on the study methodology and findings. 19 footnotes, 5 tables, and 10 graphs