Female
law enforcement to be topic of conference
By
Jamie Rowe
On-line Forty-Niner
The
Criminal Justice Student Association will
present the first Women in Law Enforcement
Conference Friday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The
conference will focus on the availability
of positions in law enforcement agencies
for women.
"We
want women to know that the criminal justice
system doesn't have to be male dominated,"
explained Heidi Chavez, the association's
co-president. "Even in the corporate
world, women don't have to be secretaries.
They can work towards a non gender specific
career."
Representatives
who will be attending the conference include:
the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Station
in Lakewood, the Long Beach Police Department,
forensics specialists, California Alcoholic
Beverage Control and the FBI.
Each speaker will discuss her background
in law enforcement as well as the obstacles
she has overcome and issues she has dealt
with to accomplish her goals.
Lauren
Medrano, a third year sociology major, said
she didn't have any difficulties in getting
a job as a cadet at the Baldwin Park Police
Department.
"My
prior experience with law enforcement agencies
left a bad taste in my mouth," she
said. "But I haven't had any problems
with Baldwin Park."
Medrano
also explained that the hiring process is
long and detailed. There is a written test,
oral interview and drug test. The station
also does a thorough background test by
visiting applicants' homes, talking to their
families and neighbors and contacting all
their previous employers. It took almost
five months for the department to hire Medrano.
"People
in the field think [women] are incapable
until you get there and do your job and
don't complain. Then they treat you like
just another officer," said Medrano
on her experiences in law enforcement.
The
conference is open to students on campus
as well as those attending high school.
"We
researched and found which schools had criminal
justice type programs," Chavez said.
Bravo,
Huntington Park and St Anthony's will attend
the conference, 95 percent of which will
be female.
"We
invited high school students because they'll
be transitioning from high school to college.
Most incoming freshmen are undeclared and
this will give them an opportunity to look
at a potential major," Chavez said.
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