Quinsigamond Community College has increased the diversity of its Campus Police department with the hiring of two new female officers, Nicole Maffei and Cheyenne Walker. Maffei and Walker were sworn in earlier this summer and have been completing QCC’s six-week field training program.
According to a 2022 report by WCVB Channel 5, only 12% of sworn police officers in Massachusetts were female and in Worcester, the rate was just over 6 percent. QCC has maintained a similarly low rate of female police officers over the past 20 years; however, the department has been increasing its efforts to diversify both gender and ethnicity. The hiring of Maffei and Walker, as well as a third female security officer, who will complete QCC’s police academy in September, is a result of those efforts.
“The number of people, especially diverse candidates, applying to work in policing is decreasing. It is vitally important for us to be representative of the communities we serve. We are happy that our level of diversity has increased throughout various ranks and we will continue to work on diversifying our department,” said Chief of Police Stephen DiGiovanni.
Maffei, who previously worked as a correctional officer at the Worcester County House of Corrections, was interested in criminal justice from an early age because she wanted to help people and had family members who were police officers or members of the military.
“Everyone told me I couldn’t do it because I was too small or too soft-spoken. So, I had to prove them wrong,” said Maffei. “Now I’m setting an example for my young niece, who says she wants to help people too.”
Maffei added that those same qualities others saw as weaknesses turned out to be valuable assets. Her approachable demeanor has been a welcome presence on campus. She reported that many students feel comfortable approaching her and saying hello.
Walker also had an early interest in policing and after obtaining a criminal justice degree from QCC in 2019, and got her start in law enforcement with the Transportation Security Administration in Boston. Looking for more of a challenge, she completed the Worcester Police Academy and was excited to return to the place where her criminal justice journey began.
“When I went to school here, I had a lot of conversations with Security Officer Jose Rivera. It made me feel comfortable on campus. I want to be that person you feel comfortable talking to,” Walker said.
Maffei and Walker both noted that there are certain situations where people seek out a female police officer, such as sexual assault or domestic violence cases.
“QCC is so fortunate to have a police force that includes women, people of color and speakers of multiple languages, which reflects our student population. We want to serve everyone in the QCC community,” DiGiovanni said.