When discussing the 30×30 initiative, Fremont Police Chief Sean Washington thinks back to the woman who hired him back in 1997. One of the first female officers in the department, she could remember a very different time. “The women didn’t even have a locker room,” Washington shares. “This was in the ‘70s. They had to change in a back storage closet in records.”
It’s a story about a different world. But the world won’t change until we change. When Sean Washington became Police Chief 2021, a retired woman police chief encouraged him to look into 30×30, a 2018 initiative where police departments can pledge to advance women in policing, with a goal of increasing the percentage to 30% by 2030. A chart on the website says in 2021 women represented only 12% of officers in the U.S.
Chief Washington clarifies that his goal is not to hit some arbitrary number or privilege any group. “I think that’s actually disrespectful if we went down the path of giving anyone a disadvantage over another because of how they look, who they love, gender, whatever it is.”
Ironically, the noble instinct to not take any unfair advantage and just do the job can get in the way of enacting needed change. “In a male dominated profession, sometimes it’s very difficult to have a conversation because we all want to fit in. How do I tell you what I need when I don’t want to feel like I’m being treated differently or special?”
For Washington, accountability starts from the top: opening the lines of communication and correcting backsliding when it occurs. He notes, “You can have policies all day long, but if the practice goes against that, you’re not making progress.”
One change at the Fremont police department in the past few years, is an updated lactation room with new furniture and equipment, based on employee feedback. “We said, ‘What do you guys want? What’s going to make you more comfortable?’ And they designed it, and that’s the room.”
Washington acknowledges the gaps in his own perspective. “I’m a father as well. Yes, I have responsibilities for my daughter. But also there are responsibilities and needs I won’t fully understand as a man.”
However, being an outsider has its advantages. Washington’s predecessor, Chief Kimberly Petersen, was among the voices encouraging his pursuit of 30×30, affirming that as a male police chief he also has a role in inclusivity. Washington learned, “In a lot of ways, I may have a greater ability to effect positive change and attitudes toward this subject as a male chief…If I’m passionate and I show leadership under this topic, for whatever reason it tends to get a little more traction. That was eye opening to me.”
Of course Washington isn’t the first; in his view he’s following in the footsteps of his mentor retired police chief Craig Steckler. “He had 30×30 principles before 30×30 was a thing.”
Still, creating a supportive environment is the second half of a solution. People also have to want to join the police in the first place. “I’m always recruiting,” Washington says. “If I go to the store or go to the restaurant, I’ll ask the waiter/waitress, ‘Hey you wanna come and join us?’ And they will always say, ‘I don’t wanna be a cop.’”
Growing up in LA, Washington was very aware that people have bad experiences with cops. For him, this acted as motivation to pursue a career in law enforcement and make it better.
However, not everyone working with Fremont PD is a cop. Officers comprise only two-thirds of total employees, serving alongside 100 professional staff. Ironically, Washington notes, “[Gender disparity] actually works in reverse when it comes to our dispatch center. I actually would like to see more men! It’s like 95% women.” At the station there are six professional managers, equivalent to a lieutenant in rank, and all are women. On the sworn side, there are eight lieutenants, six men and two women.
But numbers don’t tell the story. When the community is as diverse as the Bay Area, the police serve more effectively when they understand more perspectives. Chief Washington has a handy metaphor: “I always tell my staff that I’m the chief. I’m the conductor of this train. On this train I have over 330 staff. We’re going across the country. I grew up in Los Angeles California; if we head south and we get to LA, Compton, and there’s some problems that we need to solve, I’m going to be very familiar with how to address that particular issue. But we may come across a town where I don’t have that perspective, background, experience…I’m going to look behind me and say, ‘Does anybody have any experience dealing with this? If so, come get in the driver’s seat! And I’ll go back there.’”
One overlooked group is the Deaf community. “We don’t have any hearing impaired officers or CSOs; However, we do have folks who have family members who are. And every time we have an issue with a hearing impaired individual, guess who we tap?…You can see the stress level come down when our staff member starts to sign, and they’re like ‘Oh my god. Here’s somebody I can communicate with!’”
For Chief Washington, there are quality candidates across demographics. An effective department recruits the most possible, and his goal is “to provide the opportunity, the path, the space for well qualified people to consider and feel comfortable joining the profession.”
Learn more about Fremont Police Department and their recruitment process here: jobs.fremontpolice.gov Learn more about 30×30 here: 30x30initiative.org.
