SBPD on the hunt for more females in the field

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — The South Bend Police Department (SBPD) welcomed in women considering a career in law enforcement Thurs. evening for its Women in Policing: Info Night & Open House event.

With SBPD’s next Prospect Day, a single all-day police testing event, right around the corner on Aug. 23, a handful of female officers gave a presentation and offered advice for joining the male-dominated industry, including SBDP detective, Georgia Wells.

“Very male-dominated, historically it has been, and today it definitely still is. I believe there’s only about 10 percent of us here at the department currently and we would like to see more females represented… our male officers do a phenomenal job taking care of the community, I see them all the time… with how they handle women and children as well, but… sometimes that representation, seeing that face, that motherly smile, it can make a difference in a call,” said Detective Wells.

The department’s Director of Communications, Ashley O’Chap, said it’s not about prioritizing any gender over another, but rather making sure they have a person that can fill the role needed in any situation.

“There’s certain personalities that just mesh better, that might be man to woman, it doesn’t matter. There might be a group of four officers on a scene and a victim might only connect with one of them, so it doesn’t even come down to that, it’s just the diversity, it’s just different backgrounds…those standards are the exact same for men and women, there’s been some misinformation over the years that… if you’re hiring a woman, you’re lowering your standards. Well, understand that every single person has the same standards so that will give female applicants the confidence that they can proceed in the job just like their male counterparts,” said O’Chap.

So, when Detective Wells applied, she met the same physical requirements as her male coworkers, was at the same academy receiving training, but when they were faced with the same sensitive situation, she was the one to step in.

“There was a case with a young juvenile who had been sexually assaulted, my FTO was a male, he stepped out and allowed me to speak with her one-on-one… once I got one-on-one with her, then she kind of opened up and then she started speaking about more things just because she wasn’t comfortable with a male presence there,” said Detective Wells.

Women like O’Chap and Detective Wells, who have held vital roles at SBPD both behind the scenes and on them, show there is not only a space for women at the department, but a need.

“Day to day, you know, you have people who aren’t always going to be supportive… but as long as we have that support on our home front, it doesn’t really matter. Here, we like to support each other…women, we want you to know that you can do it… just like the other ones who’ve done [it] before,” said Detective Wells.

To learn more about the upcoming Prospect Day, click here.