September 22, 2022
On September 19, 2022, the City of Edmonton signed the 30x30 Pledge to increase the recruitment, retention and promotion of women in law enforcement in the City of Edmonton’s Community Standards and Neighbourhoods branch to 30 per cent by 2030. Currently, 19 per cent of the City’s Community Standards Peace Officers are women. This is below the national average of 22 per cent and below the demographic breakdown of Edmonton’s population.
“Our enforcement officers play a critical role in the city and I’m delighted that we’re committing to ensuring we have a diverse representation of officers,” said Jennifer Flaman, deputy city manager for Community Services. “It’s important that officers in enforcement be reflective of the communities they serve. Encouraging women to pursue careers in law enforcement is a critical step in our recruitment efforts.”
“We need more women on our team and the innovative ideas they can bring,” said David Jones, branch manager for Community Standards and Neighbourhoods. “At its core, being a peace officer is about listening to people, building trust and problem solving. Our focus over the next few years will be to improve recruitment and hiring practices, and break down barriers for women getting into enforcement in our branch.”
Downtown Community Peace Officer Erin Blackmore was drawn to serve with the City of Edmonton more than seven years ago by a friend who worked as a peace officer at a local hospital.
“My friend nudged me to apply for a role with the City and ever since taking the position I’ve loved the job and the work-life balance it offers,” said Blackmore. “One day I’m doing patrols by bike and another day, I’m walking a downtown festival. I like the aspect of helping people and being the boots on the ground. My experience has shown that being a woman in uniform can be very powerful. People find me approachable and someone safe to talk to. It’s a challenging role but very rewarding.”
There are approximately 190 Peace Officers and 40 Municipal Enforcement Officers at the City of Edmonton. City of Edmonton Peace Officers and Municipal Enforcement Officers are trained in Indigenous awareness, mental health awareness, de-escalation techniques and how best to work with youth and Edmontonians experiencing homelessness.
The 30X30 Initiative is hosted by New York University’s Policing Project and has a mission of increasing the representation of women in law enforcement in the United States and Canada to 30 per cent by 2030.
Agencies who sign the 30x30 Pledge agree to:
- take measures to increase the representation of women in all ranks of law enforcement.
- ensure that policies and procedures are free of all bias.
- promote equitable hiring, retention and promotion of women officers.
- ensure the culture is inclusive, respectful and supportive of women in all ranks and roles of law enforcement.
Those interested in learning more about joining the Community Standards and Neighbourhoods Branch are urged to visit this
webpage.
