AUSTIN (KXAN) — For the first time in more than 20 years, a woman has been chosen for the permanent role of police chief in Austin.
Lisa Davis’ appointment to the position comes at a time when the Austin Police Department, and hundreds of other agencies, are pushing to increase the number of women in police recruit classes, as well as female representation in leadership roles. According to experts, the push could result in more effective policing and safer communities.
Austin’s first and only other permanent female police chief, Elizabeth Watson, was named in 1992. Around two decades earlier, in 1976, the department accepted women into the academy for the first time.
According to APD, women made up around 11% of the force, as of 2023.
By the end of the year, the department told KXAN female recruitment had increased “faster than anticipated” under Interim Chief Robin Henderson. The latest graduating class of APD cadets boasted the department’s largest number of women yet: 10 women out of 39 total cadets.
At a recruitment event this May, Sgt. Destiny Silva said it’s still a top priority. “I know firsthand how important representation is–how important it is to have strong females contribute to this profession. We bring a unique perspective,” she said.
Currently, in the United States, women make up around 12% of sworn officers and only 3% of police leadership, according to the 30×30 Initiative — a national coalition working to increase the representation of women in police recruit classes to 30% by 2030.
Maureen McGough, co-founder of the 30×30 Initiative, said scientific research backs the work of the coalition and reveals the unique value women officers bring to policing.
She said that research shows women officers use less force and excessive force. She said they are more skilled at getting voluntary compliance from the people and are perceived as more honest or trustworthy by their communities. She also noted they tend to get better outcomes for victims of crime — especially victims of sexually-motivated offenses. Plus, the research shows women fire their service weapons less often in the course of duty, and McGough noted that this research is controlled for variables such as different types of assignments and patrols.
Some research shows there is even a cost-benefit for departments, as women are named in complaints and lawsuits “significantly less often.”
“If I was talking about a training program that offered all of those benefits, I think every department in the country would say, ‘Sign us up for that training.’ But instead, we’re just talking about being different and intentional about who we think should do the job,” she said.
Part of the efforts of the 30×30 Initiative focus “to ensure police policies and culture intentionally support the success of qualified women officers throughout their careers.” McGough said they work to overcome barriers women often face in the field, such as poor parental leave policies, no options around childcare, and even poorly fitting uniforms.
“We talk to officers across the country who are women who say things like, ‘I’ve never had a ballistic resistant vest that appropriately fits or protects me.’ We’ve talked to women who are returning to the workplace after giving birth, and they have to pump breast milk in cruisers parked in a dark alley — you know, take off their PPE [personal protective equipment] and make food for their kid.”
Kym Craven, Executive Director of the National Association of Women Law Enforcement Executives, said women haven’t always had the same opportunities to attend some prestigious institutions that offer advanced training, which could affect their ability to be promoted to leadership positions.
“While these specialized trainings in schools are wonderful, and we want to increase the number of women in them, they don’t have that opportunity right now,” she said. “Oftentimes, women are sandwiched in between raising their children and being caregivers to aging parents, and they can’t leave for ten or 11 weeks — or sometimes even the shorter schools — to go and get that training.”
Her association prioritizes mentoring to ensure women see themselves represented in leadership roles.
Craven noted that while Davis has not yet served as a chief, she believes in the decades of experience Davis will bring with her to Austin. Davis currently serves as the assistant chief of the Cincinnati Police Department.
“She will hit the ground running and build trust. Her outreach, what she believes in with community engagement, community and policing, she will be ready to hit the challenges that Austin will present to her. But for women rising up — just like men — everybody has to have that first opportunity to be chief,” Craven said.
Throughout the process, Davis has emphasized the value she places on community policing — at one point during the interview process saying, “How do I build trust? I start by getting where the community is. I’m not someone that likes to sit in an office.”
This focus on community policing echoes a resounding note from Chief Watson’s time in the office, years ago.
“If you think about what communities want, right, they want safe spaces,” Craven said. “The way that we can create safe spaces is to be interacting with the community, talking with them, building relationships, hearing what they have to say, and responding in a way that is comfortable for the community. And that’s not the absence of law enforcement. It’s working with them in a way that they feel that they are being treated fairly, justly and that they — just like anyone else in the community — would get the respect of their law enforcement officers.”
After Austin’s city manager T. C. Broadnax made the announcement about Davis’ selection on Friday, Davis told KXAN investigators she was “truly excited to start building relationships with the officers and the community.”
Her appointment will need to be confirmed by Austin’s city council in a vote next week.