BLOOMSBURG, Pa. — According to the Pennsylvania State Police, only about eight percent of its 4,700 troopers are women. That's lower than the national average. The state police hope to increase that to 30 percent by 2030.
"Events like this, maybe students haven't been subjected to anyone in law enforcement, they have nobody in their family, so seeing all the different females here today might spark that interest," Cpl. Casey Lewis said.
Cpl. Lewis and law enforcement officers from all over the area gathered at Bloomsburg University for the Female Law Enforcement Expo. Girls in grades 9 through 12 learned about careers in law enforcement, such as forensics, criminal investigation, and patrol.
"We have over 200 specialized positions within our department, and they're hearing about 15 to 20 of them today," Cpl. Lewis said.
"My specific goal is to be a pathologist, which is a lot of autopsies," Isabella Kremer said.
"After graduation, I plan to apply for a corrections officer and then after that maybe law enforcement for college," Rachel Inch said.
Isabella Kremer and Rachel Inch are part of Shikellamy High School's Law Enforcement Club.
"It's really cool to see all the people who come in and the different job opportunities that we have in law enforcement," Kremer said.
"I love seeing everybody here interested in law enforcement, especially as females," Inch said.
The students said they liked how the event was geared towards girls.