Summary
While female police officers struggled with and encountered many barriers during the 70s and 80s, some women have successfully attained promotion to executive leadership positions. This included officers across Ontario and within the Waterloo Regional Police Service, the organization that is the focus of this study. What made these women successful? What can we learn from their journey? Do they share common characteristics in their leadership practices and are these leadership practices distinct from their male counterparts? How can what they have experienced guide or instruct those women who choose to become police leaders in the future? Women who achieve promotional success can help the future leaders learn how to reach senior ranks in policing. The research question will, therefore, explore: What lessons about promotional success can we learn from current women police executives in municipal police services in Ontario?