Antiquated 'Policewoman' Term Removed in Law Modernization

LANSING, MI – Michigan State Police will no longer hire “policewomen.”

That doesn’t mean the state police won’t hire women, rather that the law has been modernized. State Sen. Tonya Schuitmaker, R-Lawton, sponsored the legislation that changes the designation to the gender neutral “trooper,” and Gov. Rick Snyder signed it.

The old terminology harkens a time when women in the Michigan State Police were paid less than men. The new law merely catches up with practices that have been in place for decades.

The rank of “policewoman” hasn’t been used since 1976 and men and women are paid the same.

“A trooper is a trooper,” Michigan State Police Director Col. Kriste Kibbey Etue said. “They all receive the same level of training and are held to the same high standards of service.”