SAN FERNANDO VALLEY : LAPD to Hold Exposition in Bid to Recruit Women
The Los Angeles Police Department--trying hard to recruit women--will hold a community exposition Saturday at San Fernando High School.
Eventually, the Los Angeles City Council wants 43% of the city’s police officers to be women, and just under 56% to be men, to match the gender mix of the city work force as a whole. Women will fill about 400 of the 900 slots for cadets at the Police Academy next year.
“We have a goal to meet of 43.4% women on the Los Angeles Police Department,” Officer Leticia Dotson said. “Today, we have approximately 15%. This is a very exciting time because we are changing the face of the (LAPD).”
Recruiters hope to attract applicants from female-dominated professions, such as teaching and social work. Previously, the LAPD relied on gimmicks, such as cosmetics giveaways and celebrity appearances at women’s career fairs.
Traditionally, the LAPD’s recruitment strategies focused on military bases, sporting venues and male-dominated workplaces, such as security firms.
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