By Paul Wisniewski
DEPEW — When Rochelle Menard joined the Depew Police Department, there was no one ahead of her to ask for advice. She was the department’s first female officer.
Now an administrative captain, Menard spent much of this fall helping about 200 women in law enforcement find that kind of support. As Western Region membership director for New York Women in Law Enforcement, she helped organize the group’s annual training conference, held Oct. 28 through Oct. 30 at the Sheraton in Niagara Falls, the Lancaster/Depew Bee reported.
“I was my department’s first female officer, so I didn’t have anybody to lean on or mentor me as I’ve progressed through my career,” Menard told the Bee. “Having this organization for younger and newer officers as they move through their careers is just awesome.”
Three days of training
The conference, now in its 15th year, drew officers from the organization’s four regions of the state. Menard’s Western Region alone covers 18 counties. Sessions covered wellness, finances, human trafficking, family life in law enforcement and mass casualty incidents, along with panel discussions, according to the Bee’s account by editor Jim Sinner.
“For the three days, we offer training on a variety of topics. Some that are specific to women in the law enforcement field, but it also allows for connection, networking, and even mentorships from some of the more seasoned veterans in the field,” Menard said.
The job meant bringing some of that work home in recent months, the Bee reported.
“It has been a growing experience. I have learned a lot about planning a large-scale event,” she said. “It has been a lot of planning — a lot of time management.”
The Niagara Falls Illumination Board marked the event by lighting the falls in the conference’s colors.
What women bring to the job
Menard said women in policing still face particular challenges, among them “understanding the unique traits that women bring to the field of law enforcement that are beneficial, and, also, trying to see women represented in higher command positions.”
She listed “good communication skills,” “empathy” and “compassion” among the qualities that can set female officers apart, and said the conference can give women the confidence to thrive in their careers.
The statewide group, according to its website, was started by 14 women from different corners of New York law enforcement and has grown to almost 400 members, with a 21-member board. Its stated aim is “to strengthen the Law Enforcement Community through the celebration of diversity, the promotion of education and the development of leaders.” Its goals include recruiting, retaining and promoting women in the field, and mentoring both officers and students interested in criminal justice.
Closer to home
In Depew, Menard said, the department has added five more women to its ranks since she was hired in 2011.
“They’ve been great,” she said, speaking of how the Village of Depew and its police department have approached gender equality during her time there.
Menard joined the department as an officer in 2011 and was promoted to administrative captain this fall, after the village named Cory Skok police chief, The Buffalo Chronicle reported in October. She had been overseeing training and community relations as administrative lieutenant since 2024.
What we still don’t know
Published accounts do not say how many sworn officers Depew has today, how many of them are women, or what the department is doing to recruit more. Nor do they say whether any Depew officers besides Menard attended the conference, or who paid for officers’ attendance.
Those are fair questions for a department that has only recently settled its leadership after the chief and both captains retired within weeks of each other in 2024.
The Buffalo Chronicle is asking the Depew Police Department about its staffing and recruitment, and will update this story with any response.
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