RESEDA : Women Urged to Attend Police Expo

With the goal of increasing the number of female officers in the Los Angeles Police Department, the West Valley Division is sponsoring a recruitment expo Saturday and encouraging women especially to attend.

Currently just 15% of the 7,500 LAPD officers are women, but the goal is to have 43% of each new police academy class be female, said Officer Patricia Guessferd.

The department is planning to hire 900 additional officers by June, more than 400 of them women.

“In the last year or so, we’ve gone out there to . . . let (women) know they can do the job,” said Guessferd, a 13-year LAPD veteran.

Saturday’s expo will begin at 8:30 a.m. at Reseda High School, 18230 Kittridge St., and include a panel of female officers who will speak about their experiences with the LAPD and answer questions.

At 10 a.m., the LAPD written examination will be given to those interested. The test takes about two to 2 1/2 hours, Guessferd said.

Applicants for officer positions must be at least 20 1/2 years of age; hold a U.S. high school diploma or GED equivalent; be a U.S. citizen or have filed an application for citizenship; be of proportional height and weight and in good health, and have no felony convictions.

For more information on the West Valley expo, call (213) 847-LAPD.