* Warning: This is an unofficial, introductory copy of the bill.
The official copy considered by the City Council is the first reader copy.
Introductory*
City of Baltimore
Council Bill R
(Resolution)
Introduced by: Councilmember McCray
A Resolution Entitled
A Council Resolution concerning
title
Investigative Hearing - Women in Public Safety: Leveling the Playing Field
For the purpose of requesting that the Chief of the Baltimore City Fire Department, the Commissioner of the Baltimore Police Department, and the Director of the Department of Human Resources come before the Baltimore City Council to provide information about their agencies’ strategy to recruit, retain, mentor, and promote more women.
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Recitals
Female representation in the nation’s approximately 18,000 law enforcement agencies has remained stagnant around 12% for more than 25 years. That number gets smaller when evaluated in the promotional process, as women make up just 3% of police executive leadership positions. Statistics from the organization Women in Fire show that females in fire and emergency medical service organizations face the same plight, as they make up just 3.7% of their industries workforce in the United States, with women of color accounting for 1 in 5 females in the profession.
When it comes to the Baltimore Police Department and the Baltimore City Fire Department their statistics are on par with national averages. It has been reported that of the Police Department’s nearly 2,500 sworn officers, less than 400, or 16%, are women. Similarly, the Fire Department has approximately 1,700 uniformed personnel, but fewer than 250, or 14%, are women.
The low numbers faced by women in these professions are a probl...
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