Northern Kentucky University’s Police Department (NKUPD) received the Kentucky Women’s Law Enforcement Network’s (KWLEN) Public Safety Departmental Award, a distinction that the group bestows on departments that “promote enthusiasm, harmony, gender equality and diversity in the organization and community as a whole.” Lieutenant Autumn Ruehl (‘00) has felt the impact of the department’s inclusiveness firsthand since she was hired in 2019.
In her previous role, Ruehl was the only female officer in her agency for more than a decade.
“There was also nobody of any other race working there,” she says. “Coming to NKU and having my opinions heard makes a huge difference, not just for me but for the department as a whole because I bring a unique perspective. Our community is diverse. You want a department that looks like the student body you serve.”
Growing up, Ruehl’s father was a law enforcement officer, and seeing the time he was able to spend outdoors and out of the office made the job seem appealing to her. Working on a college campus specifically gives her more opportunity to be involved in her daughter’s life, as she is currently an undergraduate student at NKU.
“Showing up to things that are important to your kids can be difficult in this line of work because the schedules are often difficult to work around,” Ruehl says. “NKU creates a more parent-friendly environment that is able to satisfy both of my passions: law enforcement and motherhood. I have a lot more time with my kids and a more predictable schedule.”
“Coming to NKU and having my opinions heard makes a huge difference, not just for me but for the department as a whole because I bring a unique perspective."
Growing up, Ruehl’s father was a law enforcement officer, and seeing the time he was able to spend outdoors and out of the office made the job seem appealing to her. Working on a college campus specifically gives her more opportunity to be involved in her daughter’s life, as she is currently an undergraduate student at NKU.
“Showing up to things that are important to your kids can be difficult in this line of work because the schedules are often difficult to work around,” Ruehl says. “NKU creates a more parent-friendly environment that is able to satisfy both of my passions: law enforcement and motherhood. I have a lot more time with my kids and a more predictable schedule.”
She adds that receiving recognition from KWLEN shows the strides that NKUPD is making toward better serving and representing its community.
“KWLEN acknowledges that women make up a small percentage of law enforcement,” Ruehl says. “The last time I checked, it’s about 5% in Kentucky, and 12-16% nationally. Their organization was looking for agencies that go out of their way to recruit and hire minorities.”
Lieutenant Will Love says that NKU’s Police Department has made a point of emphasizing diversity, particularly in hiring women. When Love returned to law enforcement in 2017, the department was entirely male. Since then, NKUPD has hired six women officers, making the team 38% female.
“We’ve changed a lot because of that,” Love says. “It’s no longer a boys’ club. Their beliefs and experiences have helped us grow. For example, we changed our hair policy after I spoke to Lt. Ruehl about things that she wasn’t able to do at other departments. The policy didn’t really have anything to do with performance, but it was also something I hadn’t thought about before. These kinds of changes create more happiness, which leads to better work because our officers can be themselves.”
Moving forward, Ruehl hopes that NKUPD can continue to expand its outreach to the student body.
“Currently, we have mandatory community engagement hours,” she says. “Each officer completes 12 hours showing up to scheduled events that benefit students. I’d like to think of ways we can expand that program. Students tell us that they really value when the police are partnering with them, and they think that we should look for more opportunities to do so.”
