BLOOMSBURG, Pa. — According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, women make up less than 13 percent of full-time law enforcement officers in the United States. In Pennsylvania, that number is even smaller.
"It's really important for me to have females in law enforcement. When I came in, I think there were only two other females at my barracks out of a barracks of like 35," Trooper Kelly MacIntyre said.
The Pennsylvania State Police hope to boost the share of women in the ranks to 30 percent by the year 2030. That's why Trooper Kelly MacIntyre and police officers from all over the area gathered at Bloomsburg University for the Female Law Enforcement Experience. Girls in grades 9-12 learned about careers in law enforcement.
"We brought all of our specialty positions out today, and hopefully, they'll connect with one and say, hey, that's for me," MacIntyre said.
"I definitely want to go into forensics. Maybe not the patrol side of it, but the behind-the-scenes, working with DNA and evidence," Jayde Bartholomew said.
Jayde Bartholomew takes part in Berwick Area High School's criminal justice program. She liked how this event was geared toward girls.
"It's amazing because we get to hear firsthand accounts of what it's like to be a woman in this environment instead of a man," Bartholomew said.
Trooper MacIntyre was asked how she has time for a family as a female in law enforcement.
"That's where I like to have females step in that are trying to raise a family. Myself, I have two kids. I have a husband, and I make it work," MacIntyre said.
The girls learned about many aspects of law enforcement, such as patrol, criminal investigations, forensic services, and the K-9 division.