More women are leading the charge against federal violent crimes than ever before.

“Even in our criminal investigations, we do really well with details and interviews and establish rapport. I always say firm but fair,” said Regina Lombardo, who became the first woman to lead The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, known as ATF, five years ago.

The law enforcement agency in the U.S. Department of Justice enforces federal firearms statutes and investigates arsons and bombings.

“Not a lot of women want to look at the ATF organization and say, ‘I wanna work with guns and bombs and explosives.’ So we have to find something to recruit more women,” Lombardo said.

Nationally, just 16% of ATF criminal investigators are women, according to data. At the New York branch, it’s 20% and strides have been made in recent years.

ATF formally teamed up with the NYPD to pursue high-profile armed robbery cases approximately 10 years ago. The 20-member team is called SPARTA, which stands for Strategic Pattern Armed Robbery Technical Apprehension.

In October, special agent Ayesha Winston took the helm of SPARTA, becoming the first woman to do so.

“We know the elements of the crime, we know what needs to be done. The fact that this is all this group does is those types of cases, a specialized unit. I think that’s very helpful,” Winston said.

One ATF special agent, who asked that her face not be shown on camera, said diversity is key when it comes to going after New York’s most violent offenders and helping victims.

“A lot of times, they don’t expect someone like me. I just don’t look like a regular law enforcement person or officer and I do use that to my advantage a lot. I always strive to be a little more personable with people,” she said.

Meanwhile, Lombardo said she hopes to inspire more young women and girls to explore fields historically dominated by men

“Now I see the people I handed their credentials to and I see them in leadership positions or even amazing cases, complex multiple defendant cases, seeing them around the country. So that to me gives me the greatest joy, and that is my legacy,” Lombardo said.

Last year, ATF joined more than 200 police organizations in signing the pledge to increase the representation of women in law enforcement to 30% by 2030.