NJIT Police Department to staff shifts with all women in honor of Women’s History Month

By Christina Fan

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    New Jersey (WCBS/WLNY) — This Women’s History Month, the New Jersey Institute of Technology Police Department is making history. For two continuous days in March, the department will be entirely staffed by female officers to highlight the effort to advance women in policing.

Inside the NJIT Police Department’s squad room, women fill every role, from running roll call to patrolling campus to working in the detective bureau. But the norm for this campus police force in Newark, New Jersey is a rarity in police departments across the United States.

“My old department [was] very different. It [was] very male-dominated,” Officer Melanie Bautista said.

“With my last agency, I fought really hard to get promoted, and I was the only female for a while,” Captain Heather Glogolich said.

“To have a room where we can interact with one another as women is super empowering,” Officer Katherin Merino said.

The transformation begins

In 2022, the NJIT Police Department had only two sworn female officers.

The change came when Chief Kevin Kesselman learned of the “30 x 30” initiative, a nationwide pledge calling for 30% of police recruits to be women by 2030.

According to the Bureau of Justice, women make up less than 14% of sworn officers. However, research indicates that women use less force, are named in fewer complaints and achieve better outcomes for crime victims.

Kesselman’s personal experience echoed these findings.

“I had a female partner for nine years in my career when I was a detective and a detective sergeant, and she kept me out of every piece of trouble I could ever get into and said ‘Kevin, bad idea, let’s not do this. Kevin, you know, we got to speak a little bit softer with this,'” he said. “She really threw that empathy into me, and I said, our profession really needs more empathy.”

Since joining the pledge, 29% of the department’s 42 sworn officers are now women.

Captain Heather Glogolich, one of the first hires, helped institute the cultural shift.

“There is this softer side of policing that has to be put in there because it allows for situations to be de-escalated easier, to not have to use force in a certain way,” Glogolich said.

Community and crime reduction

Kesselman credits a change in recruitment methodology and a focus on community engagement helped lead to a 25% reduction in crime last year.

Officers are also more involved in campus life, recently attending a memorial game held by the women’s basketball team honoring Amber Morgan, an alumna who was a victim of domestic violence.

“It’s nice knowing that they actually support, and it is like, it makes it more of a relationship, not just police officer and student. It’s just like, friend,” NJIT junior Kyleigh Welsh said.

Officer Jenna Waldron hopes students feel more comfortable approaching them.

“I want them to come to me. I want them to come to the department, feel comfortable talking to anybody for any situation that they encounter,” she said.

Historic 48-hour shift

At the end of this month, the department aims to make history by having women fully staff all shifts for a full 48 hours from March 24-25.

Glogolich says the point isn’t to prove that women are capable but rather serve as a symbol of what can be in the future.

“Let’s create the change. Let’s make an environment where people feel that there’s a change that’s inevitable,” Glogolich said.

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