Page 55 - March 2022

Real Women Wear Badges
Chicago to host the International Association of Women Police conference in 2024
The 61st annual meeting will unite female officers from around the world
n BY ESTHER GONZALES
In 2024, the International Association of Women Police (IAWP) will host its annual conference from Aug. 30 to Sept. 5 at the Hilton Chicago. The IAWP was founded more than 100 years ago. Its mission is to strengthen, unite and raise the ca- pacity of women in policing internationally.
Each year, IAWP hosts a training conference in a different geographical region — recent and upcoming conferences have been held in New Zealand, Australia and Canada. The conference includes international speakers and in-depth training catered specifically toward women in policing.
Kathy Caldwell, the IAWP regional coordinator for Region 6, which encompasses Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Michigan, is looking forward to gathering with hundreds of women at the unifying event in Chicago.
“It’s women from all over the world,” Caldwell explained. “We’re going to have a parade of nations, which you’re going to see on the news. We don’t know where we’re going to march, but it’s really neat. Every country has their own flag, and their policewomen march behind it.”
When Caldwell, who was a Chicago Police Officer for 28 years, first came on the job in 1994, the idea of female officers was still fairly new, and she experienced many negative views of female officers from men on the force.
“When I first came on, of course the guys didn’t want to work with us,” Caldwell revealed. “They preferred to work with other men because they would think that their wives were go- ing to get jealous.”
The sentiments did not stop there. Caldwell recalled a time when she was told by a fellow officer that the worst thing that ever happened to the Department was allowing women to come on the job, because it caused divorce and chaos.
The officer also disparaged women’s physical abilities.
“[He said] that women are not strong enough and they don’t know what to do [because] they can’t handle themselves,” Caldwell recalled.
Despite criticism for being a woman on the job, Caldwell has seen a rise in the number of female officers in law en- forcement. She pointed out that experiencing the unifying
atmosphere and the spirit of family at the IAWP conference is a great way to let female officers from across the globe know they are not alone in the difficult situations they may face, as well as to enhance their skills.
The IAWP conference will reflect the diversity and strength of women in law enforcement, despite negative reactions like Caldwell once faced.
“We’re like family now that I’ve been there so long,” Cald- well affirmed. “I try to tell women on the Department that they should join and come to a conference. Because once you go, you’ll get hooked.”
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