Women in Loveland law enforcement

by Dennis Sean Rahe, Loveland Chief of Police

Recently, a resident dropped off an article for me to read. The article was from TIME magazine written by Charlotte Alter titled, “Why America needs more female cops.”  It highlights the importance and inclusion of women in the New York Police Department. I noted the article proudly states, “women make up 17% of its (NYPD) force” compared to the national average of 12%. Many times we think of the large, urban departments as being the innovators in law enforcement. However, your Loveland Police Department has a long tradition of innovation, particularly in hiring practices.

[pull_quote_right]Today, over 22% of our sworn officers, and 30% of our total staff, are women.[/pull_quote_right] Officer Betty Rajewski joined the Loveland Police force as a full time police officer in 1974. In perspective, only 2% of all police officers were women in 1970 (Female Officers in the United States, Barbara Price, National Institute of Justice.) By 1978, Officer Rajewski was assigned to the Hamilton County Homicide Task Force as an investigator. She went on to receive numerous commendations during her distinguished career for outstanding work prior to her retirement.

[pull_quote_left]This is almost twice the national average[/pull_quote_left]We have carried on this innovative tradition. Today, over 22% of our sworn officers, and 30% of our total staff, are women. This is almost twice the national average quoted in the article. LPD female officers are active in bike patrol, field training, crime scene investigation, and more. I am proud to belong to a department that has worked hard to be as innovative as possible and truly representative of the community we serve.

Incidentally, on May 24 at 7:00 p.m. Officer Melba Schultz, a Loveland Citizen Police Academy Alumni Association graduate and member, will be sworn in before city council.