WARNER ROBINS, Ga. — Currently, women make up 12% of sworn officers and 3% of police leaders in the United States.
The numbers throughout Houston County vary. Centerville is in the process of hiring women on patrol after going about four years without. Warner Robins police say they have nine peace officers, with two more on the way.
The Houston County Sheriff's office has three patrol officers and three in investigation but 80 in their detention center.
"We go out and start security checks just riding through checking parks and neighborhoods making sure everything is okay," Perry Patrol Officer Jessica Lange said.
With almost a year in she says she loves the impact she can have on someone's life.
"It kind of throws people off balance a little when a woman shows up. You can be like it's okay, I'm here, I'm gonna take care of things," Lange said.
Lange says despite surprised looks, her gender often brings people comfort.
"Several occasions I've shown up being the only female on scene and they will want to talk to me more," she said.
Detective Lieutenant Quridesha Gilliam has been with her station for over twenty years.
"Perry had approximately two female officers at the time," Gilliam said.
Since then, things have changed a lot.
"We have a female on every shift and we have three back in investigation so it has grown a lot it has grown tremendously," Gilliam said.
Even working in the investigations department she sees the impact it can bring, especially in cases with victims of sexual assault.
"If they see you, and you look like them they're more likely to tell you more than they would tell another officer," Gilliam said.
Constance Paige also works in the investigations unit, and says when solving cases it's helpful to have a variety of opinions.
"We bring our respective experiences and knowledge to whatever case were working and we can bring our solutions to whatever case can best help the victim," Paige said.
All the ladies say more woman should consider the job.
"It's just super rewarding so I 100% think every female should consider it," Lange said.
There is currently a nationwide campaign to raise awareness for more women in the industry, it's called the 30 x 30 pledge.
It's a commitment to advancing the representation and experiences of women in all ranks of policing to increase representation by 30% by 2030.
Of the 200 plus agencies signed up, Savannah is the only one in Georgia to sign the pledge.