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In celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Mercer County Courthouse, its committee hosted a Women in Law event on Thursday afternoon. More than 60 women of all ages attended the event.
CELINA - More than 60 women on Thursday discussed the complexities of working in the historically male-dominated law enforcement and legal professions.
The Women in Law forum held at the Mercer County Courthouse drew a mix of high school and college students, court staff, probation and law enforcement officers, attorneys and a judge.
It served as an opportunity to change the narrative.
"If you look at the statistics in Mercer County, we certainly have more male officers or deputies than female," said county prosector Erin Minor. "The hope is that with events like today, females who are considering pursuing a career in law enforcement, they've been given an opportunity to talk to females already in those roles and can see them as role models and mentors."
Minor herself broke ground by becoming the first female prosector in the county's history.
Mercer County Prosecutor Erin Minor.
Among the guests were county recorder Julie Peel and Celina Municipal Court Judge Kathryn Speelman.
Speelman praised the women before her who paved the way, noting 13 of the 162 Ohio Supreme Court justices have been female.
"There (are) so many people here (who) support different sectors of the law, making everything happen and making sure justice is served," Speelman said. "It takes everybody to get the job done, and I believe that here in Mercer County, we're doing a fabulous job in making sure justice is carried out. I believe that we're blazing trails here in Mercer County."
Speelman, who earned her law degree from the University of Toledo, graduating cum laude, built a law practice over two decades before being elected judge in 2017.
Celina Municipal Court Judge Kathryn Speelman.
Responding to a question at the forum, Speelman said she felt disrespected at the beginning of her judgeship.
"I don't know if it's because I'm a woman or if it's because I was in the bar association here and … it's very small and friendly," she said. "I felt like some of (the attorneys) didn't take me seriously in the beginning, maybe because, well, it's just Kathy. Was it that? Or was it because I was a female? I don't know. I'm still just Kathy Speelman … I'm still just a person, but it's hard because when you become that judge, it's stressful. You have that responsibility. There's a lot at stake. We're past, 'Oh Kathy.'"
Several other professionals shared their experiences working as women in a male-dominated field.
Carla Baucher, a detective with the county sheriff's office since 2017, said at times "some of the older men have a hard time having a female deputy show up."
"I'm still asked if I'm a dispatcher every once in a while because they're used to that female role being in the dispatcher position," she said.
Sheriff's office Capt. Lori Knapke said women have come a long way in the field and "we're seeing a turn where more and more women are getting involved."
"Women are so much stronger today than ever and women can do anything men can do," she said.
Although more women are pursuing law enforcement careers, Minor said the sheriff's office is the only law enforcement agency in the county with female officers.
"There's no other law enforcement agencies," she said. "The State Highway Patrol serves the county and (it has) female troopers, but they're not assigned just solely to Mercer County. That is not to be a knock against other law enforcement agencies. That may just be from the simple case that they haven't had female applicants."
The statistics follow the national trend.
Nationwide in 2019, 87.2% of full-time law enforcement officers were males, according to the FBI. Of the city population groups, cities with populations of 10,000 to 24,999 inhabitants, which includes Celina, employed the highest percentage (90.6) of male officers.
The career event also served as a networking opportunity for prospective students. Minor said 25-30 high school and college students attended.
Some area high schoolers expressed interest in pursuing law enforcement.
Jenna Mumford, 16, is interested in becoming a lawyer or a guardian ad litem; Hannah Koester, 17, wants to go to law school to become a paralegal; Kianna Creeden, 17, is interested in the sheriff's department or becoming a forensic analyst; Ni'eesha Rupert, 18, wants to become a detective or a social worker; and Lydia Williams, 15, wants to be a defense lawyer.
Speelman lauded the 20 female attorneys whom she believes outnumber their male counterparts in the county.
That statistic contradicts national numbers.
Of the 44,590 total registered attorneys with the Ohio Supreme Court in 2021, 64.5% are male and 35.5% are female, according to the Ohio State Bar Association's 2021 profile. In Mercer County, there are 35 attorneys for the county's population of 42,309. There are 56 attorneys for Auglaize County's population of 46,141.
