Vermont State Police pledges to advance women in policing

March 26, 2021 | By Waterbury Roundabout 

Vermont State Police Logo.

The Vermont State Police this week was the first statewide law enforcement agency in the country to sign on to what’s being called the 30x30 Pledge – a series of low- and no-cost actions that police agencies can take to improve the representation and experiences of women in law enforcement.

The steps aim for policing agencies to assess their current status of gender equity, identify factors behind any disparities, and to work to eliminate barriers in order to advance women in their ranks. These actions address recruitment, assessment, hiring, retention, promotion, and agency culture.

The pledge is the foundational effort of the 30x30 Initiative – a coalition of police leaders, researchers and professional organizations to advance the representation and experiences of women in all ranks of policing across the U.S. The initiative is affiliated with the Policing Project at NYU School of Law and the National Association of Women Law Enforcement Executives.                                                                                                                                    

The goal of the 30x30 Initiative is to reach 30 percent of women in police recruit classes by 2030, and to ensure that policing agencies truly are representative of the jurisdiction the agency serves. While 30x30 is focused on advancing women in policing, these principles are applicable to all demographic diversity, not just gender. 

“The Vermont State Police is actively working toward improving the representation and experiences of women officers in our department,” said Capt. Julie Scribner, co-director of fair & impartial policing and community affairs for the Vermont State Police. 

“To better reflect the communities we serve, we know that we need to continue making strides toward hiring and retaining a diverse membership. We are honored to be among the first in the nation to make this critical commitment, and we look forward to working with and learning from agencies in Vermont and across the country that share our priority,” Scribner said.

More than 35 agencies – from major metro departments including the New York City Police Department, to mid-sized, rural, university and state policing agencies – have signed the 30x30 Pledge. The pledge is based on social science research that greater representation of women on police forces leads to better policing outcomes for communities.

Today, women nationally make up only 12% of sworn officers – and about half that for state law-enforcement agencies. Women comprise about 3% of police leadership in the U.S. For the Vermont State Police, about 13% of troopers and 15% of the agency’s leadership are women. This underrepresentation of women in policing has significant public safety implications. 

“We are grateful to the Vermont State Police for being one of the first in the nation to commit to being a part of this growing movement,” said initiative co-founder Maureen McGough, who is chief of staff of the Policing Project at the New York University School of Law and a former policing expert at the U.S. Department of Justice. “We believe strongly that advancing women in policing is critical to improving public safety outcomes. We look forward to having more agencies follow VSP’s lead by signing the pledge and improving the representation and experiences of women in policing.”

More information is online at 30x30initiative.org.