GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Green Bay Police Department is working to diversify its officers to match the demographics of the city and says there has been a growing number of female police officers in the city.
"When you get hired here, you've got to prove yourself, but I think any officer has to prove themselves, as well," said Officer Lauren Greene, an advanced patrol officer with the Green Bay Police Department.
Officer Greene is one of the 30 female officers in the department, according the Police Chief Andrew Smith.
"I'd be lying if I said it wasn't a hard job to do. It is, and you have to work for it, but that could be any job, you know. You have to work hard, you have to keep a good head on your shoulders, and you have to try to get along with all your coworkers, so it's probably the same anywhere," added Officer Greene.
Chief Smith said the department just hired five new officers and two of them are women.
"Especially in these times where we're having so much difficulty across the country getting people to be police officers, I think it speaks that this is a great place for females to become police officers. It's a great place to work, and we're seeing it in the number of people that apply," said Chief Smith.
Chief Smith added that he hopes the number of women interested in law enforcement continues to grow.
"It's traditionally been a man's job, like many jobs that are out there, but I think as we move forward, people see that women are just as capable of doing this job as well as men are, and we welcome them here in Green Bay," said Chief Smith.
"I think it's great to be a female officer. It kind of just shows how strong women are and how we can do anything that men can do as well," added Officer Greene.
