Program Encourages Women In Law Enforcement, Highlights Leadership Opportunities

The Broken Arrow Police Department is helping women in law enforcement become better leaders through the Women's Leadership institute.

Alongside the International Association of Chiefs of Police and BAPD, the Women's Leadership Institute is giving women from all over northeast Oklahoma the opportunity to learn about leadership so they can take those skills back to their departments.

The one-week program helps leaders understand the unique challenges women face in the workplace.

BAPD's training division captain, Deidre Hughes, went through the program a few years ago and said she applied what she learned to help her department and her community. Hughes said she wants to encourage the next generation of female leaders within law enforcement.

"By bringing in different perspectives and having more women step up into that leadership role, then we are able to work with the other supervisors and making sure that we are giving a diverse perspective to our supervision and to our community ultimately," Hughes said.

The program brings in law enforcement from all different departments from all different parts of Oklahoma. The goal is to encourage women to continue to take up leadership roles in their fields.

Diamond Winstead is the IACP's global project coordinator, and she said the program also gives women the opportunity to connect with others all over the world.

"They are very, very adamant about making sure they connect with the women all across the world. We just left Canada so it’s not just here in the states. It’s international; just making sure that everyone specifically women feel, I will say, valued, reminding them that they are essential to policing," Winstead said.

Outside of the leadership training, the women attending this program also get to learn about policing all over the world.