Austin Police: Female recruitment increasing "faster than anticipated" under Chief Henderson

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The Austin Police Department made a pledge in 2022 to work toward having women make up 30% of the police force by 2030. It's called the "30x30" initiative.

"With a consistent effort passionately supported by Chief Robin Henderson, we have increased the numbers faster than anticipated," APD said in an email response to our questions about the progress of the initiative. "The Austin Police Department will remain steadfast in advancing the representation of women in policing for the foreseeable future."

Below is a breakdown of the female recruitment numbers spanning from the class that graduated in Nov. 2022 to the current cadet class still going through the academy.

"The most recent class, which started in September, started at 29% female," APD said. "The four classes prior showed a combined average of 16% female."

Lexington, Texas police department has all-woman patrol squad

Law enforcement agencies across the country are finding trouble hiring qualified applicants.

For rural communities, like Lexington, Texas, about 60 miles east of Austin, staffing a department takes a special type of recruitment effort.

"We don't pay great because we're a smaller agency, so they're not doing it for the money," Chief Farah Garza said. "So they've got to want to do it, and they have to have a reason to stick around here."

When she became chief last year, she said she knew recruitment needed to be one of her top priorities. She said she didn't premeditate it - but she ended up with a full squad of female officers.

"It's not that we only had female applicants, it's just the female applicants that we hired, they were just the best - they were the best candidates," she said.