Redmond Police Department’s Lieutenant April Huey was elected as the Oregon Association for Women in Criminal Justice’s first president. Huey formed the OAWCJ in March as a separate branch of the Oregon Peace Officers Association, and was later elected president by its members.
As a non-profit organization, OPOA promotes proper training and achievement recognition for police officers in Oregon. The new OAWCJ offers similar programs, but places an emphasis on championing women’s empowerment in the Oregon Criminal Justice field.
“RPD is proud to have Lt. Huey serving as President of OAWCJ and looks forward to supporting her and the association as they inspire women in law enforcement,” Redmond Chief of Police Devin Lewis stated in a news release.
Huey told the Source that OPOA saw a need for the new branch and fulfilled it.
“As a female, we oftentimes have different experiences in law enforcement, and it is nice to have a mentor to share things with that might have been through similar situations. It’s also important to have role models to show that some things can be accomplished like Chief of Police or Sheriff,” Huey says.
Huey says her hopes are that OAWCJ will provide a variety of trainings all designed for women. There will be a mentorship component to the organization which will help provide support to newcomer officers. Members of the group will also focus on recruitment of more women into the criminal justice field.
According to Huey, the OAWCJ currently has 71 women enrolled in its program.
OAWCJ’s inception comes four years after Huey was named the first female lieutenant in RPD history, after serving RPD for over 19 years. She is also the founder of a similar group, Central Oregon Women in Law Enforcement, which provides mentorship opportunities and support to future law enforcement officers as well as hosting a Junior Women’s Law Enforcement Academy for girls 11 to 19 years old.
“It is important and valuable to have a network of mentors and associates who have had similar experiences to share things with, train with and encourage each other,” Huey says. “It is also important to share with future women coming into the profession or who might be interested in the profession that there are role models for things they want to accomplish and achieve and that is a positive and supportive environment to come into.”
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