The Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office is working toward a goal of having women make up 30% of its force by 2030 as part of its ongoing participation in the national 30×30 Initiative campaign.

The campaign focuses on increasing the recruitment and promotion of women in law enforcement. Since joining the initiative in Jan. 2024, the sheriff’s office has seen a 6% increase in women who are sworn or promoted, they said Wednesday.

Agency officials say women once represented only a small fraction of the overall force, but that ratio is steadily changing.

"The nationwide average for females in law enforcement hovers between 12 and 14%, and here at the Sheriff's office we're currently at 16% female staffing," said sergeant Megan Adamo, "Which is great — we're on the uphill climb."

The growing presence of women within the department has sparked meaningful changes, the sheriff's office said. Female officers are involved in quarterly meetings where they discuss various topics and mentor their peers.

The sheriff's office says the meetings have begun new initiatives, "including new uniform items better suited to female officers, updated and cohesive parental leave informational packets for staff and other administrative projects," they said.

The 30x30 Initiative says research shows that the under-representation of women in policing undermines public safety because they are less likely to use excessive force.