Hiring of women police aided by new funding for Village of Goshen PD bathroom and locker room facilities

Senator Skoufis Announces $166K to Upgrade Police Department and Hire Women Officers

Lack of bathroom and locker facilities have been an obstacle to hiring women police officers, Village of Goshen Police Chief James Watt said this week, as a grant for $166,000 aimed at remedying that was announced by Senator James Skoufis (D-Hudson Valley). He joined Village of Goshen officials on Tuesday to announce new grant funding that will enable upgrades to the Police Department’s locker and bathroom facilities, allowing for first-ever hiring of female police officers.

In a recent analysis published by the federal Bureau of Justice Statistics, about 1 in 8 local police officers are female, and women hold only 3% of police leadership positions nationally.

“Investing in our police departments isn’t just about improving public safety, it’s also about improving community relations, and that starts with more representative ranks,” said Skoufis.

“In 2021, we completed our police reform and reinvention plan, which included the goal of hiring female officers for a more representative force,” said Police Chief James Watt. “When meeting with Senator Skoufis and his team, we brought up the obstacle of not having proper facilities to house these female officers. Senator Skoufis immediately responded with funding to complete this project, which will open us up to 50% of the hiring pool we’ve been missing.”