Among 23 officers at the University Police Department, 20 of them are male. This gender gap isn’t a problem for the three females on staff.

‘We don’t care about the man to woman ratio here,’ police officer Amanda Schmitt said.

‘It’s not about gender, or anything else here, it’s about being a good officer.’

Women make up 13 percent of officers at the University, a ratio higher than Miami University’s 11 percent and Ohio University’s 4 percent.

But Schmitt said she would like to see more female representation at the police department. Compared to other MAC schools, women make up 29 percent of officers at Kent State University and 20 percent of the officers at the University of Toledo.

‘In the ’70s and ’80s, it might have been harder for women to crack this business,’ she said. ‘But now, as far as any department I’ve been to, it doesn’t matter. We are a team, a unit, and we are equal.’

There are 33,601 certified officers in Ohio and roughly 10 percent are women, according to the Attorney General’s Office. But hiring practices shouldn’t be different because the application process is guided by the state, said Lt. David Weekley, University police spokesman.

‘It’s a long and complicated process and we really don’t pay attention to man or woman or color or anything when we hire,’ he said. ‘It’s all based on who has the qualifications.’

In order to become a University police officer, a prospective officer must obtain a certificate from the Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy. Once the certificate is received, an application process starts, which involves physical training and background and driving record checks.

Once the officer finishes with the testing, they are given 18 weeks field training and then a year’s probationary period.

‘At each stage, someone is knocked out of the running,’ Weekley said. ‘We could start with 70 applicants, 20 could be women. It’s narrowed down not because they are women, or any other reason. Things just come up in checks, or the tests aren’t passed.’

Officer Shellie Mack said she is practically one of the guys at the University police department. She patrols the University in the cruisers, walks the residence halls, controls traffic and makes arrests, just as the male officers do.

‘Yes, as a female, we had a little more time to run a mile and a half, but if the men ran, I ran and so on,’ Mack said. ‘Females are an asset to any community because we bring something new to the table. We talk differently and handle situations differently than the men. It all depends on the case and what we are confronted with.’

Weekley said in cases such as sexual assault a woman on the force is especially beneficial because female rape victims feel more comfortable telling their story to a female officer. But overall, women just have a calming effect, she said – or fighting men don’t want to assault a female officer.

But even though some female officers are smaller and might not have as much muscle, they can still do their job, Schmitt said.

‘People might be like, ‘oh you’re 130 pounds and a chick,’ and I may not look like a ‘challenge’ for a 280 pound drunk guy, but I know where the pressure points are and went through training,’ she said.

And while law enforcement is male-dominated, neither Schmitt nor Mack felt intimidated when they started in their line of work. In fact, they encourage women to be involved because it makes a statement about the community to invite diversity and change.

‘Women are underrepresented,’ Schmitt said. ‘But women of minorities are even more invisible in this field, and it would really show progress if there was more female interest.’

Although they might not be able to change the world, Mack and Schmitt said they love their jobs because they can still make a difference and be a part of the University community.

‘In school you are faced with lesson plans,’ Mack said. ‘In the real world you are faced with the lesson of life and I want to help teach, even if that means sending someone to court, jail or just student discipline. I get to show them what’s right and wrong and there is no specific gender requirement to do that.’