Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco Delivers Remarks at the 25th Anniversary Celebration of the Women in Federal Law Enforcement Foundation
Remarks as Prepared for Delivery
Thank you, Director Wray, for that generous introduction – and to Acting Deputy Secretary Canegallo for your words. Federal law enforcement is fortunate to have great leaders in the two of you.
You know, the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security together employ 80% of all federal law enforcement. So it’s fitting the Deputy Secretary and I are here together.
Now you may have heard rumors about a law enforcement rivalry between our two agencies – which I can neither confirm nor deny – but I can tell you that Deputy Secretary Canegallo and I are unified in our commitment to advancing women in law enforcement, and I’m grateful for her partnership. She is a terrific leader for DHS.
Thank you to WIFLE President Catrina Bonus and Vice President Jessie Lane for the invitation to speak today. It’s an honor to join WIFLE’s 25th Anniversary celebration.
I couldn’t be more proud to be a part of this community of women in federal law enforcement – a community that exists in large part because of the vision of WIFLE’s founders.
I’m happy to see some of my former colleagues as well – great law enforcement leaders like Amy Jo Lyons and Regina Lombardo – two former presidents of WIFLE’s executive committee.
I think I first learned about WIFLE from Amy Jo when she was FBI’s Special Agent in Charge of the Baltimore Field Office and I was Director Mueller’s Chief of Staff.
And its great to see Regina Lombardo, former ATF Acting Director and trailblazer in that job.
We’re all here today for a simple reason: because we believe that women in law enforcement make our communities safer, and we need more of them on the job.
For 25 years, WIFLE has been leading the way to make this a reality. Today, WIFLE is the only non-profit in the country dedicated exclusively to recruiting, retaining, and promoting women in federal law enforcement.
Because of WIFLE’s persistence in promoting women in the law enforcement profession, we’ve come a long way.
But there was a time when every federal law enforcement agent in this nation was a man.
Every single one.
And I guess that’s not hard to believe when we hear about experiences like Nancy McRae’s.
But thanks to trailblazers like her and those we honor today, and WIFLE’s founders, today there are thousands of women serving in federal law enforcement.
I’m proud to help lead the many of those women in the Department of Justice who every single day are fulfilling our mission to uphold the rule of law, keep our communities safe, and protect civil rights.
They are women serving as sworn law enforcement officers across the FBI, ATF, DEA, Marshal’s Service, and the Federal Bureau of Prisons, as well as the members of the Justice Protective Service who protect our facilities.
And they are women serving as analysts and in professional staff roles across the Justice Department’s law enforcement agencies.
Today we honor some of the profession’s trailblazers.
Trailblazers is an appropriate term – because for all of us to move forward, someone had to go first.
The courage and service of those first women in federal law enforcement remain an inspiration today – and I’m so happy that many of them are here today.
I’d like to acknowledge:
- FBI Special Agent Susan Malone
- ATF Special Agent Ann Kocher
- U.S. Postal Inspector Janene Gordon
- And Secret Service Special Agents Phyllis Shantz, Kathryn Clark Childers, and Sue Ann Baker.
Your courage and service paved the path for the profession – and for women who followed in your footsteps.
Over the course of WIFLE’s 25-year history, we’ve seen sustained efforts by federal law enforcement agencies to recruit talented women to their ranks, and to retain them.
While the numbers of women in federal law enforcement have grown, the overall percentage of women across federal law enforcement has remained relatively constant – around 14%.
And that’s why initiatives like 30x30 are so important.
As the saying goes, you can’t be what you can’t see. And I’m guessing we’ve all had the experience at some point of looking around and seeing that we were the only woman in the room. I grew up with three brothers, so for me it started early.
So, we need more women in the pipeline to make that experience, the exception not the rule, and to fill the profession’s ranks – including at the executive level.
I’m proud that all of the Justice Department’s law enforcement components have signed onto the 30x30 Initiative.
I want to acknowledge Director Wray’s commitment on this and the leadership the FBI has shown in reaching this achievement with recent recruiting classes.
While 30x30 focuses on ensuring that women make up 30% of recruiting classes by 2030 – the recruiting classes are quite literally just the beginning.
It’s about recruiting more women to a career in law enforcement so that we are getting the best people for the job and strengthening our workforce across the board.
That’s why the leaders of the Justice Department’s law enforcement agencies are reaching out to colleges and universities across the country, speaking to students and promoting a more diverse profession for the next generation of criminal justice leaders, including for women.
They are running career fairs, building relationships with all-women colleges and universities, and developing targeted outreach programs for female veterans and military spouses to leverage their skills and experiences.
And it’s paying off: for instance DEA has increased women in senior executive positions by 11%.
But this effort is about more than increasing women’s representation and leadership in the profession – it’s about the safety of our communities.
Few professions stand to benefit more from adding women to their ranks than law enforcement.
Building trust with the communities we serve is critical to public safety.
Among other things, research shows that women officers are less likely than men to use excessive force; and they’re more effective at de-escalating volatile situations.
Our communities deserve to have confidence in law enforcement that is reflected in that research.
And women in law enforcement deserve the confidence of our communities.
Every woman who’s ever been the only woman in the room, at the table, or on a squad knows the feeling – the second guessing, the imposter syndrome, and worse.
Unfortunately, sometimes those critiques are not confined to the occasional voice in your head.
Recently it seems the ghost of J. Edgar Hoover is alive and well, voicing the outdated idea that women don’t belong in law enforcement.
Whether it’s in investigative, tactical, administrative – or, yes, protective roles – women in law enforcement make our communities safer.
Let me take this opportunity to say thank you to women and men of the U.S. Marshal’s Service who serve on my protective detail and keep me safe every day.
I’m grateful for their service.
The threats law enforcement is facing today are more complex and more dangerous than ever – that includes an unacceptable level of threats against public officials including law enforcement.
As these threats converge, I am certain of this: we need more women in law enforcement across more communities in more senior roles than ever.
At the Department of Justice, we have your back.
We celebrate your service, applaud your sacrifice, and appreciate everything you do to keep our public officials, our communities, and our country safe.
I have the privilege of witnessing that work every day. It’s visible across the Justice Department.
From DEA Administrator Anne Milgram to the Director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons Colette Peters – to the many women leading within the U.S. Marshals Service, the ATF, and FBI throughout the country – our communities and our country are better because of their outstanding work.
As with WIFLE’s trailblazers – it’s only when someone goes first can the rest of us see the way.
I’m here today – as Deputy Attorney General and as a woman in law enforcement – in large part because my first boss at the Justice Department was Janet Reno — the first woman Attorney General in our country’s history.
It took too long to reach that milestone.
So, we have to keep pushing toward WIFLE’s vision of what law enforcement can and should look like; we have to ensure women have the opportunity to advance in all areas of the profession; and to stay in the field for the long term.
That’s why this gathering is so important. And that’s why I couldn’t be prouder to celebrate WIFLE’s impact.
Congratulations again on 25 years. I can’t wait to see where we are in 25 more.
Department of Justice
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Source: Justice.gov
