Women's law enforcement group meets in KC

The National Association of Women Law Enforcement Executives has a mission: To serve and further the interests of women executives and those who aspire to be executives in law enforcement.

The Lenexa Police Department will host the organization’s 14th Annual Leadership Training Conference, which takes place Aug. 6-9 at the Downtown Marriott in Kansas City, Mo.

The conference committee is comprised of law enforcement members from both Kansas and Missouri. About 200 people from local, state, university and federal law enforcement agencies across the United States are expected to attend the event, which offers meetings, training sessions, a golf tournament, social networking, and vendors showcasing new technology and products.

The organization, commonly referred to as NAWLEE, conducts training seminars to train and educate women executives in law enforcement in areas such as leadership, management and administration. NAWLEE also provides a forum to exchange information about law enforcement and mentoring opportunities for women in mid-level management positions and those new to senior management roles.

Lt. Dawn Layman, Lenexa Police Department, said she recently read a statistic stating that about 11 percent of police officers are women but only 1 percent are chiefs of police.

“It’s nice to be able to reach out to other females who are in that same position. Some have had a rougher time in other departments,” Layman said. “I think it’s a good way to bounce ideas off of each other, things that people are doing in their departments that are working. It’s a great networking opportunity and a good working environment. I’ve brought ideas back from different training functions, things that we’ve used in Lenexa.”

Layman said NAWLEE, a nonprofit organization, has some male members as well.

“The training is applicable to male and female personnel,” she said. “We recognize the fact that many of us have male mentors. We wouldn’t be where we’re at if we didn’t.”

Lenexa Police Chief Ellen Hanson was one of six founders of NAWLEE, which now has 330 members. The women brainstormed the idea 15 years ago at an International Association of Chiefs of Police training conference in Florida.

“We were talking about the different experiences that we’d had. Most of us had really good experiences, but some women had a terrible experience,” Hanson said. “We talked to people at the head of the IACP and other leadership groups to see if they would take on some of these issues. It just wasn’t a big priority for them, so we thought, ‘We’ll just start our own organization.’ The primary goal of this group is to help mentor women and help them have successful careers in law enforcement.”

The conference theme, “Nurturing the Spirit, Nurturing the Future,” was inspired by Layman, who attended her first annual conference 12 years ago in Boston. At the time, Layman had only been an officer for four years.

She said the experience confirmed her desire to be a leader in the department.

“Seeing so many women who had attained rank and the way they carried themselves was very inspiring and motivating,” she said.

Hanson said she is excited to host the conference in Kansas City.

“We have so many law enforcement agencies right here in the metro area and most women don’t have an opportunity to attend this conference when it’s in other parts of the country,” she said. “We agreed to host it to be able to provide that opportunity for area law enforcement agencies. There will be really good training that’s not just geared towards women.”

Hanson said women have made “great strides” in law enforcement.

“The women at this department are so highly regarded ... but there still are some special considerations for women in this field, especially women who want to raise a family and want to progress through the ranks,” Hanson said. “It still is a male-dominated field, women are still a minority, and there are special areas of concern for them.”

Layman said the conference still has opportunities for sponsorships and vendor participation, is seeking donations, and is encouraging attendance from male and female officers in the metro area.

The event features local and nationally recognized speakers, including: keynote speakers Gail Worth of Worth Harley-Davidson and Sara Welch, Johnson County District Court judge; former Lt. Penny Fischer; Lt. Dawn Layman; Sgt. Betsy Bratner-Smith; Stephen M. Gower, Certified Speaking Professional; Lt. Kristen Ziman; Sgt. Courtney Gale; retired Capt. Steve Smith; Jack Colwell and Chip Huth, Kansas City, Mo., Police Department; Leigh Branham, Keeping the People Inc.; Holly Gibeaut, Taser International; Nate Maloney, ELASG; retired Lt. Col. Cindy Shain; and Sgt. Jessie Browning.

For information, visit www.nawlee.com.

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