New York State Police commits to getting more female troopers on the force
ONEIDA, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) -- March is Women's History Month and there's no better time to highlight the continuous push to get more women wearing a law enforcement badge.
In 2022, Governor Kathy Hochul announced New York State's 30x30 Pledge. The goal of the initiative is for women to make up 30% of recruit classes by 2030, and to ensure law enforcement agencies throughout the state are diverse and representative of the communities they serve. More than 150 police departments across the country have committed to the pledge, including New York State Police.
"We were created in 1917. We didn't have any females enter the academy until 1974. We've reached a number of avenues to get people to come on this job, and I think it's progressed, but we're not done yet."
TROOPER JACK KELLER, PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICER, NEW YORK STATE POLICE
Trooper Kylie Black has worked in law enforcement for 14 years, 11 of those with New York State Police. As a college senior striving to become a lawyer, Trooper Black took the State Police exam on a whim. Now over a decade later, she's never looked back.
"It's a great job and there's so many different avenues within the State Police. You can be an investigator, you can be a sergeant, you can be a K-9 handler...There's a whole bunch of careers within this career, and there's a lot of opportunities for both men and women, but for women to make a difference in this state."
TROOPER KYLIE BLACK, NEW YORK STATE POLICE, TROOP D
"Literally I get to bring my dog to work everyday, so really, there’s no bad day with her," Trooper Black said. Her sidekick is Loni, an explosive devices K-9! Trooper Black is one of just two female K-9 handlers out of about 100 in the entire state.
She may not know it, but Trooper Black serves as an inspiration for all women interested in a career in law enforcement. A fearless woman herself, she's proving every day that policing is no longer just a "man's job."
Is the 30x30 pledge attainable?
The 30x30 pledge is an attainable goal for New York State Police and one that has been years in the making.
How do I sign up?
The first step to becoming a New York State Trooper is to take the Division's entrance exam. As part of the effort to recruit and retain a more diverse force, State Police have moved the exam to an online format for the first time.
The exam is available at 54 testing centers and over 250 locations throughout the state. Interested applicants can choose when and where they take the exam. More information can be found by clicking HERE.
Did you know the New York State Police was founded by women?
The Division of State Police was created due to the efforts of two women, Moyca Newell, and Katherine Mayo. In 1913, a construction foreman was murdered during a robbery in Westchester County. With no local police department at the time, the man's murderers escaped.
That's when Newell and Mayo started the movement to form a state police department to provide protection to all of New York State, specifically, rural areas. As a result of those efforts, on April 11, 1917, the NYS Legislature passed the law which established the Division of State Police. More than 50 years later, the first four women Troopers graduated from the New York State Police Academy.