US Marshals Service seeks to recruit more women in Colorado
DENVER (KDVR) — Deputy U.S. marshals hunt fugitives for a living, and now they are pledging to get more women involved in this work.
The 30×30 Initiative is a pledge to increase the representation of women in police recruit classes to 30% by 2030. The U.S. Marshals Service is the first federal agency to sign on, and the Colorado team explained why as FOX31 rode along.
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From searching, staking out, coordinating operations and wanted sex offender takedowns, the job of a deputy U.S. marshal varies.
Deputy U.S. Marshal Loretta Sanchez is the sex offender investigation coordinator, task force member and missing child investigation coordinator for the federal District of Colorado.
“Hunting fugitives is definitely my favorite. It’s definitely exciting,” Sanchez said, adding: “It’s definitely one of those things that I know when I wake up in the morning, and I’m like, I have got to go catch this person.”
Sanchez showed FOX31 what team members call “professional hide-and-seek” with those who do not want to be found. The news crew joined a stakeout on a case in late March for a man wanted on aggravated sexual abuse of a child.
“It does definitely weigh on you, because you want to make sure that the community’s safe and you want to make sure that this person’s off the street as soon as possible,” Sanchez said.
Women make up just 12% of sworn officers
The U.S. Marshals Service hopes to recruit more women like Sanchez with a pledge to the 30×30 Initiative.
“Right now, women only make up 12% of sworn officers and 3% of police leaders, and this initiative seeks to increase and improve that number,” said Katrina Crouse, former chief deputy U.S. marshal for the District of Colorado.
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Crouse sat down with FOX31 to discuss this mission before retiring from her high-up position.
“I’ve devoted my career to working with kids when it comes to rescuing missing children, or putting a sex offender in jail or in prison that has victimized a child,” Crouse said, adding: “Sex assault victims responded to me a lot differently than they may with a man. They may feel more comfortable speaking to me if it’s a woman victim. So there’s a lot of aspects like that. We’re also involved in less complaints, were involved in less use of force. I have found that women tend to lean towards negotiating with people a little bit more on the street. I experience that myself as a local cop.”
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