b'F E A T U R EAre Recruit SelectionProcesses Holding Females Back? Challenging the Status QuoBy Sergeant David Jones, Edmonton Police ServiceS incethe1980s,policearticleintheLadiesHomeJournal,morecreativeinproblem-solving organizationshavetriedtitled:PolicewomenHowWellefforts; are less likely to be named andfailedtoachieveAre They Doing a Mans Job?1. Sinceinacomplaint;andincreasepolice genderparitywithinthe 1990s, research attentions havelegitimacy2,3.Externalbenefits their ranks. Those effortsshifted,toexaminethedifferences(experienceddirectlybythecom-wereinitiallysuccessfulbuthavebetweenmenandwomenpolicemunity)include:anincreaseduse now stalled, with the representationofficers. An important point to note:ofde-escalationandreduceduse ofwomeninCanadianpolicingin all my research, I was unable toofforce,especiallyexcessiveforce; relativelystableforthepast15find a study assessing whether or notmorepeacefulpolice-citizenrela-years at about 20 per cent. As such,men make competent police officers;tionships;betteraccesstofemale a re-evaluation of our current hiringthe performance of men in policingofficers for female victims of crime; practicesiswarrantednotjustinhasbeenheldasastandard,andand lower misconduct2,4. Canada,butthroughoutdemocratichasneverbeenchallengedasthe policing. In this context, I conducteddefault position. Its a basic principle of democratic a study that examined the relation- policing that agencies should always Female Officers strivetorepresentthepopulation shipbetweenrecruitselectionandtheyserve.Increasingtheratio gender outcomes within a CanadianThebenefitsofhavingwomen police organization. officers for police organizations andofunderrepresentedpopulations the communities they serve are well-inpolicingcanleadtobetterout-Inthe1970sandearly1980s,researchedanddocumented,andcomesforthosegroups5.Infact,a researchscrutinizedfemaleoffi- can be split into internal and external2014studyrevealedacorrelation cers,claimingwomenneededcategories.Weknowthatwomenbetween higher female police officer justificationtoexistinamasculineofficers:areinitiatorsoforganiza- ratios and a higher rate of reporting profession,includingone1975tionalchange;areinnovativeandincidents of domestic violence. ThatThe Official Publication of the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police9'