The FBI and the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department Host Women’s Recruitment Event
In honor of National Women’s History Month, the FBI Charlotte Field Office announced the FBI’s commitment to join the national 30x30 Initiative during a joint women’s recruitment event with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) on March 4, 2023.
30x30 is a program for law enforcement agencies across the country to increase their ranks of special agents or officers to 30% by the year 2030. Currently, women make up 23% of the FBI special agent position.
Minutes after the event doors opened, more than 100 women filed into the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police and Fire training academy eager to learn about the two agencies. The day began with a mingle session and hands-on demonstrations from the FBI Evidence Response Team, SWAT, the telecommunications unit, and tactical bomb technicians from both law enforcement agencies.
For an hour, four women from each agency, who work in a variety of positions, spoke about their experiences working in a traditionally male-dominated profession. They answered questions from the attendees, several who traveled for hours to attend.
Assistant Special Agent in Charge (ASAC) Beth A. Boggess, who served on the panel, had the idea to host this joint event. She was a CMPD officer, detective, and sergeant before joining the FBI in 2005. Boggess and CMPD Chief Johnny Jennings rose through the ranks together at CMPD and planned this event as an extension of the daily partnership and collaboration between the federal and local law enforcement agencies.
“Every day the FBI works with the CMPD to investigate cases and to protect our communities," said ASAC Boggess. "We are excited to extend that partnership to recruitment. It was inspiring to see the personal interaction of our employees with women from a wide range of backgrounds and experiences. We hope those women walked away knowing not only, there is a place for them in law enforcement, but also a great need."
"The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department was proud to host this joint recruitment event, highlighting the critical role of women in law enforcement,” stated Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department Deputy Chief Jacquelyn Hulsey. “We are all in this together, and we need law enforcement to reflect the diverse communities we serve. Recruitment remains a top priority for our department, and this event is just one of many strategic efforts we are making to build our team and continue to serve our community.”
It is important that we represent the people we are sworn to protect and serve. The better we reflect our communities, the better we can protect them. It is our hope that events like these will continue to expand the diversity of our workforces.
To learn more about career opportunities with FBI, visit fbijobs.gov. To learn more about careers with the CMPD, visit charlottepolicejobs.org.
