CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department said they have seen an influx in the number of women interested in joining their Internship Program.
They said the number of Intern applicants who are women has jumped by 13% in comparison to last year.
This is a big step for officials locally and nationally as they work to increase the number of women serving in law enforcement to 30% by 2030.
"That tells me a lot of what we are trying to do to attract women to the profession is working," Captain Gene Lim, the captain of recruiting at CMPD, said.
CMPD said the number of women applicants jumped from 59% to 72% within a year.
They say they’ve also seen an uptick in interest from women in colleges, with their eight-week Internship Program consisting of about 60% women this year, the highest number they’ve seen starting the program back in 2019.”
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"I'd say of the ones who sit through eight weeks, 25% are seated in training academy as a police recruit," Julie Barry, the captain with the training division, said. "We have seven who have already applied and another four that are waiting to get closer to senior year to apply."
CMPD said it's hoping to keep the trend going and is working to find new ways to connect and educate.
"We were intentional, going to these career fairs, military basis and college visits and really seeking out women and saying there is a place for you here," Barry said.
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