In 1910, Alice Stebbins Wells had to petition the Los Angeles City Council to become a member of the LAPD. Over 100 years later, only 18% of LAPD’s sworn officers are women, and they remain underrepresented in higher ranks. I honored the Los Angeles Women Police Officer Association’s (LAWPOA) board members for their work to improve the professional standards, service and advance greater opportunities for women in law enforcement. Building trust between community and law enforcement is buoyed when we see members of the department that come from our communities and lived our same experiences. I’m proud to know many of these women who represent the very best of community policing and I thank them for their efforts to not just fight for gender parity but fight to change the institution.
