When it comes to women’s presence in law enforcement, Madison sticks out.
While women hold just 15 percent of federal law enforcement jobs across the country, over 30 percent of the staffs of both the University of Wisconsin-Madison Police Department and the Madison Police Department are made up of women.
This is no coincidence.
With approximately 30 percent of the department’s 471 officers identifying as women, MPD is better able to represent the demographics of the city of Madison. This police-to-citizen demographic mirror builds trust and comfort between the groups, officials said.
According to Madison Assistant Chief of Police Susan Williams, having a gender makeup that somewhat resembles that of the city allows law enforcement to break down communication barriers — like relaying detailed information about sexual assault — that exist and show the community that there are police who understand their experiences.
“[A diverse staff] is very important,” Williams said. “It is important so that our community, especially women, can feel comfortable with the department that comes when they call.”
The University of Wisconsin-Madison Police Department is also well above the national average in terms of female employment. Of its full-time employees, 37 percent are women. Moreover, 29 percent of UWPD’s leadership — which includes Chief of Police Kristen Roman and Assistant Chief Kari Sasso — are women.
Chief Roman is one of the few female police chiefs in Wisconsin. According to UWPD Communications Director Marc Lovicott, Roman is “constantly in the minority” when she attends statewide law enforcement events.
Attending a training for newer chiefs and sheriffs from all over Wisconsin = No line for the women’s restroom! #SilverLining pic.twitter.com/XOo0tVpUra
— Chief Kristen Roman (@WiscChief) January 23, 2018
While ahead of most other departments across the country, both agencies have continued to look for new ways to diversify.
In fact, MPD — whose goal is to eventually have an equal number of male and female officers — has been finding ways to recruit women and many other different kinds of non-obvious candidates “for decades,” according to Madison Chief of Police Mike Koval. Rather than look for people with a background in law enforcement, Koval said he looks for people “across the academic spectrum.” Prime candidates are inquisitive, personable and have the ability to multitask.
This has led Koval to send out recruitment letters each year to the coaches of women college athletes — a group that has the skills the department is looking for.
Williams — who has been with the department for nearly 30 years — said gender diversity has been something MPD has “proven to be successful at.” She said her ability to do her job has never come into question when working.
She also said that while she has spoken to women in similar positions who have had difficult experiences, MPD is “genuine” in its attempt to continue to improve and make sure all of its employees feel welcome and equal.
“I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to enter this profession with this agency and have always felt that I was an equal contributing member of the department,” she said.
Despite success, there is still room for improvement.
In an effort to continue to mirror the changing Madison population, Koval said he would like to increase efforts to hire Latinx people.
“We have to make an attempt to get people to understand that these are the faces of our community,” Koval said. “And so [they] should be faces of our police department.”
