Two nights a week in June, middle and high school-aged girls are learning how policing works in Muncie.  IPR’s Thomas Ouellette reports on the “Girls Who Police” program.

Local girls are working with seasoned female Muncie Police Department officers to learn about problem solving, ethics, critical thinking and other skills used in everyday police work.

According to the department, nearly all police forces across the country have fewer than 30 percent women police officers.

Arin Phillips is the community engagement officer at the Muncie Police Department.  She started this program to help girls see that they can work in a male dominated field and also can excel in it.

“I think that it is extremely important when we look at some of the statistics of female officers. We tend to have lower uses of force. We tend to better reflect the communities that we serve,” she said.

Phillips adds that the Muncie Police Department is fortunate that their current Deputy Police Chief, Melissa Criswell, is a woman and is passionate about female representation in law enforcement.

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The program has had so many local girls sign up that the department had to add more days to the schedule.  Officials say they will run “Girls Who Police” again in the fall.

The program is currently free and instructors at the Muncie Police Department say that plan on keeping it that way.

Thomas Ouellette is our reporter and producer.  Contact him at thomas.ouellette@bsu.edu