Make it Happen: More Women in Policing

Women in Policing: A Necessity

For nearly six decades in policing and public life, I’ve watched a powerful truth unfold:
When more women serve in law enforcement, policing gets better.

It becomes less militarized and more constitutional. Less “command and control” and more “listen, protect, build trust.” Less warrior. More guardian.

And now, across the country, women in policing are calling for a simple, transformational benchmark:

30×30 — 30% women in policing by 2030.

This is not a diversity slogan. It is a structural correction to a profession that spent too long worshipping toughness instead of wisdom, force instead of restraint, and fear instead of constitutional confidence.

I Saw It Happen — Because We Made It Happen

This isn’t theory for me. It’s lived leadership. When I took command of the Madison, Wisc. Police Department in 1972, I inherited, basically, an all-white, all-male department. I had one Black officer in the entire agency. I didn’t hope things would improve. I didn’t wait for “culture to evolve.” I began to lead and found those in the department who would lead with me.

Every recruit class — every single one — was required to be half women and officers of color.
Not someday. Not “when qualified candidates appear.” Immediately. No exceptions!

Even then, It took almost two decades to reshape a 300-officer department into one that was 25% women and 10% officers of color. And the change in performance and community trust was unmistakable.

Departments don’t get “softer” when women lead and serve. They get smarter. Calmer. More constitutional. More effective. More human. That is not theory. That is outcome.

Why Women Transform Policing

When women reach critical mass in public institutions — around 20–30% — culture changes:

— De-escalation becomes standard, not optional.
— Communication improves.
— Unnecessary force declines.
— Trust with communities strengthens.

Why? Because women bring:

Less ego, more teamwork
Less posturing, more problem-solving
Less escalation, more resolution
More ourage with empathy.
Power with restraint.

And in a democracy, those are not “nice-to-have” traits, they are constitutional necessities.

30×30 Is the Floor — 50/50 Should Be Our Future

Thirty percent is not an end point. It’s balance. A 50/50 police workforce is not radical — it’s fair, healthy, and essential to a free society. And let’s be clear: this isn’t about making policing “nicer.” It’s about making it lawful, just, trusted, effective, and community-supported.