Minnesota State Patrol seeks to boost number of female state troopers
ST. PAUL, Minn. – Female state troopers from across Minnesota are in St. Paul Friday, as part of the 30X30 initiative.
It's a pledge to increase the number of female troopers and support staff in the Minnesota State Patrol by 30% by the year 2030.
"The goal today is to talk about recruitment. About specifically recruiting women," said Colonel Matt Langer.
Surrounded by state troopers and other law enforcement leaders, Langer signed the pledge. Right now, about 10% of Minnesota State Troopers are women, which is 3% above the national average. But Colonel Langer said it's still not where they want to be.
"I have recognized over the course of my career, some of the ones that stick out in my head as the best bosses that were really hard, for all the right reasons, happen to be women," said Langer.
Recognizing that it's a difficult time to recruit for law enforcement, leaders talked about looking at state patrol policies across the board to make sure they are gender-friendly for women.
They also talked about using new recruitment strategies.
"One of the things one of the agencies was trying is that they were setting up a recruitment booth at a Christmas Bizarre, knowing that there would be a large number of females at this particular event," said Lt. Col. Rochelle Schrofer.
"We have looked through our policies and see what we have to do to draw a larger percentage of our applications towards females," said Captain Rochelle Schrofer.
Captain Bogojevic is a commander in the Rochester district. She points out that 50% of the population in Minnesota is female. That's why she believes the 30X30 goal is achievable.
"As a female, realize that you bring a different perspective to law enforcement. Not better, not worse, but just a different perspective to serve the communities," said Bogojevic.
Today's 30X30 pledge wasn't just for State Patrol officers, it was also to recruit more women in careers that support law enforcement across the state.