Columbus Police is hosting its first women’s recruitment webinar Tuesday as part of a push to increase the division’s diversity.
Women make up about 11% of the Columbus Division of Police. That imbalance is something officer and recruiter Dianne Yandrich wants to change.
“One of our major goals is to have the diversity of our police department reflect the city of Columbus,” Yandrich said. “The city of Columbus is around 51% females right now, so we have some work to do.”
The webinar, which Yandrich says is for everyone, will go over the steps to becoming an officer. But she says it will also talk about the history of women in policing and how female officers would help Columbus Police.
“Sometimes you’ll come across victims who only want to speak to a female officer, and so we can be there for them for that," Yandrich said.
Yandrich says women officers are more likely to use more de-escalation tactics. She says women can also be helpful when working with people who’ve experienced sexual assault or domestic violence.
