Ontario Women in Law Enforcement – OWLE
It is a problem many recognize – Ontario police forces do not employ enough women officers. Some police services are rather small and there are not enough women officers within each individual force to allow the opportunity for individual organizations to form. That is, police organizations focused on the female officers.
Ontario Women in Law Enforcement (OWLE) is focused on bringing the female members of the law enforcement community together, no matter what province the officers originate from. This collective group focuses on:
- Providing an opportunity for female members to network and access professional development opportunities
- Encouraging women from every police service to address their common interests and concerns
- Providing women from other affiliated law enforcement agencies an outlet for development, a place for support and to have issues addressed.
The International Association of Women Police (IAWP) is a world-wide organization comprised of women police and law enforcement professionals, operating with the same fundamental principles of OWLE, but globally with an annual training conference. Ontario Women in Law Enforcement was granted official affiliate status with IAWP in 1997 and in September, 2000 the Toronto Police Service and Ontario Provincial Police in conjunction with OWLE hosted the 38th annual conference of the IAWP in Toronto.
Ontario Women in Law Enforcement is an organization growing each year. When you invest in a membership, some of the benefits you can expect are:
- Regular issues of our newsletter including information on law enforcement issues from across Canada, and specifically Ontario.
- Reduced registration at events hosted by Ontario Women in Law Enforcement, where many of your peers will be meeting to learn from experts and each other.
- Timely information on Ontario Women in Law Enforcement activities, training events, projects and programs.
- Recognition of outstanding achievements made by women in Ontario at the annual OWLE Awards Banquet.
- A forum for sharing professional and personal issues related to the law enforcement profession.
If you are a woman in an Ontario police department or any affiliated law enforcement agency, consider this one of your greatest investments in securing the advancement of your career and harboring knowledge to boost you forward in the career you already love so much. The objects of this corporation are to encourage, promote and advance women in law enforcement. OWLE is dead-set on:
- Securing proper training for women in the law enforcement profession;
- Encouraging the increased role of women in law enforcement;
- Assisting in the creation of support groups for women in law enforcement;
- Securing recognition of women within the law enforcement profession, and their work
- Fostering closer official and personal relationships among women in law enforcement
Along with helping the advancement of female law enforcement professionals, Ontario Women in Law Enforcement is a non-profit organization. The funds received from memberships go strictly to promoting awareness of the OWLE group and none of the members receive pay or bonuses of any kind.
If you are interested in becoming a member of Ontario Women in Law Enforcement, there are just a few qualifications you must meet, depending on the membership you are seeking.
Active Members:
To become an active member, a person must be either
- a currently employed law enforcement officer having the power to arrest; or employed in a full-time capacity as a law enforcement educator; or
- a civilian member of a law enforcement agency occupying a permanent position; or
- a retired law enforcement officer who had the power to arrest while employed; or
- a retired civilian member of a law enforcement agency who, while employed, occupied a permanent position.
Associate Members
To be an associate member, a person must
- have such training, experience, or other professional attainments in the law enforcement or related fields; or
- be employed as a part-time law enforcement educator.
Student Members
To be a student member, a person must
- be actively involved in the study of law enforcement, but
- not possess the power to arrest or be permanently employed by a law enforcement agency
For more information on obtaining a membership, contact
Ontario Women in Law Enforcement
1020 Kennedy Circle
PO box 30004
Milton, Ontario
L9T 0L8
Phone: (905) 869-3107
President:
Jo-Ann Savoie – Hamilton Police Service
president@owle.org