The Criminal Justice Student Association (CJSA) held an event Thursday to encourage and inform women who are interested in careers in law enforcement. Local schools were invited to hear female speakers from different areas in law enforcement talk about their experiences in the field.
According to Danielle Jenkins, executive council member of the CJSA and one of the coordinators for the event, the event was meant to show the importance of having women in law enforcement. She said the event provided information to the students about the benefits of working in law enforcement.
Jenkins said the event showed students how the role of women in law enforcement has changed, and she said she hoped they would be inspired to look for future jobs in the field.
The event also recognized the accomplishments of women already working in the field. It focused on what roles women play in the field today and the different areas they work in, like background investigation and criminal investigation.
Several local schools were invited to attend, among them Wilson High School, Monroe High School and Long Beach City College. A large group of female students from Reseda High School’s Police Academy attended as well. Many of the women said they were interested in working in the area of special criminal investigation.
“I want to work in that area because I want to put criminals behind bars,” said Setezabel Velazquez, a student from Reseda High School.
Jessyann Ceron, also a student from Reseda, said she liked the event because it showed her how women have improved law enforcement over the past several decades. She said she wants to be become a detective so she can solve crimes and help her community.
The three speakers for the event were Jennifer Uyeda, a member of Background Investigations for the Torrance Police Department, Gale Dennisson of the Long Beach Police Department and Sally Thomas, head deputy district attorney for Los Angeles County.
Thomas is also the head director of the Organization Criminal Division and a criminal justice professor at Cal State Long Beach. She has been working in the field for 24 years.
“I wanted to talk to about women who have changed law enforcement,” Thomas said.
The guests spoke about their experiences working as women in law enforcement and the changes they have seen over the years. They also answered questions from students.
