SAN DIEGO — The San Diego Police Department hosted the fourth annual Women's Hiring Expo for more than 80 potential candidates interested in working with the department.
The event was held Saturday morning at Police Plaza at 4020 Murphy Canyon Road, and was accompanied by a welcoming address from Mayor Todd Gloria, Chief Operating Officer Eric Dargan and Assistant Chief of Police Tina Williams, according to the department.
The expo was designed for women who are interested in joining the SDPD as an officer, professional staff member or volunteer.
"Participants were led through various stations, including role- playing as SDPD officers on a traffic stop, learning about less-lethal TASERs, witnessing a mock SWAT mission and hearing from a panel of officers from the Air Support Unit, SWAT, Canine Unit and Cold Case Unit," the department said.
In 2021, the SDPD joined agencies across the country in signing onto the 30x30 Initiative, which aims to have at least 30% female academy recruits by 2030.
The department has taken several steps to bring new female officers on board including:
-- Hosting hiring expos for potential candidates;
-- Working to create a child-care center to meet the needs of law enforcement with extended hours, and;
-- Supporting the development and training of women by hosting internal women's summits and sending sworn and professional staff to the Women Leaders in Law Enforcement Conference.
Admission to the expo was free and open to all interested candidates who were at least 18 years old.
More information about the expo and the SDPD hiring process can be found at JoinSDPDNow.com.