After the Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) announced that it is implementing a project called the 30×30 initiative, The Tennessee Star can reveal that that program is organized and funded by numerous far-left organizations.
In a Wednesday statement, MNPD announced:
On March 10, 2021, [MNPD] Chief [John] Drake was one of the first major cities chiefs to sign the 30X30 Initiative: Advancing Women in Policing. This initiative challenges police departments all over the country to increase their representation of women by 30% by 2030. This goal will be obtained by advancing the representation of women in all ranks of law enforcement by improving the policies and procedures of police agencies. The initiative encourages departments to remove biases, provide opportunities for women to be promoted, and improve the retention of women in law enforcement. The pledge requires agencies to develop a culture that is inclusive, respectful, and supportive of its female officers. Recruiting and retainment efforts are paying off— MNPD’s last graduating class of new officers was 40% female.
The 30×30 initiative wants major police forces to be comprised of 30 percent female officers by 2030 because, it claims, women make better police officers than men.
“This under-representation of women in policing undermines public safety,” its website says. “Research shows women officers use less force and less excessive force; are named in fewer complaints and lawsuits; are perceived by communities as being more honest and compassionate; see better outcomes for crime victims, especially in sexual assault cases; and make fewer discretionary arrests.”
That initiative is a creation of the Policing Project at the New York University School of Law.
The project promotes arresting fewer people under the guise of protecting “historically marginalized communities.”
“Public safety means ensuring communities — especially historically marginalized communities — have the resources to address critical social problems, such as crime, access to housing, food security, transportation, and healthcare, in an effective and humane way,” its website says. “It means empowering those communities to participate in shaping what public safety looks like. And it means minimizing reliance on enforcement and reducing the harms that often accompany policing — such as uses of force and arrests.”
The Policing Project is funded by a who’s who of far-left organizations, including George Soros’ infamous Open Societies Foundation. Also on the list are Silicon Valley tech titans including Amazon and Microsoft. The latter is participating as part of its “Racial Equity Initiative.”
The Star asked MNPD about injecting left-wing politics into its policing practices, and whether hiring practices based on immutable characteristics like sex and race are wise, instead of hiring candidates based on merit.
“We think a goal of 30 percent women by 2030 is something to which Nashville should aspire, regardless of who thought of the concept,” Kristin Mumford, a spokeswoman for the MNPD,” told The Star. “The 30×30 initiative is just one of many avenues being utilized to attract and hire qualified candidates.”
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Pete D’Abrosca is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Pete on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Metro Nashville Police Car” by nashville.gov.
