On Aug. 24, Cathy L. Lanier became the only woman head of a police district in Washington DC. Commander Lanier now heads one of the capital city’s most diverse and populous police districtsand the only district that saw an increase in crime over the past year. Only hours after her appointment, Lanier posted her mission statement on the Fourth District website, voicing her commitment to community policing, neighborhood partnerships, and cooperative crime prevention. Last month, she represented the department on her day off to meet with residents who rallied to scrutinize the area’s open-air drug markets. The Feminist Majority Foundation’s National Center for Women & Policing advocates community policing, and has published research demonstrating that women officers are less likely to use excessive force than men and are more responsive to domestic violence calls.
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