The following is a report I did for one of my classes. I decided it was a good time to start publishing or writing about my experiences as a former law enforcement officer. The secret society, the thin blue line, the black curtain, the corruption, harrassment.....the list is endless. I have waited long enough...it is time.
How has the role of women in local agencies evolved over time?
The history of women is law enforcement dates back to 1910 when Alice Stebbins was sworn in and given full arrest powers. Alice Stebbins was a pioneer and trailblazer for all females in law enforcement. From the beginning women who have entered into law enforcement had to continually prove themselves in their abilities to do the job. They had to adhere to higher standards, were paid considerably less and were placed in positions that were considered non-dangerous and women’s work. That was according to "Female Police Officers in the United States" at http://www.ncjrs.gov/policing/Fem635.htm. The article states, "Jobs were restricted to a special unit or bureau where women were assigned to clerical, juvenile, women, guard duty and vice work."
Gradually through the years women were given more responsibility with in the law enforcement community. According to the "Los Angeles Almanac, The Nation's First Police Women" at http://www.laalmanac.com/crime/cr73b.htm, between the years of 1937-1939 this department would call on a unit of "highly trained amateur pilots when a situation would arise needing expert flyers." Five women hired as "reserve officers" were added to this unit. During the 1950’s some individual female officer's responsibilities changed. In one community there were female officers who moved up to foot patrol for schools. Additionally, in the article "State's first female officer, motorcycle cop, dies at 81" written by Trevor Stokes for TimesDaily.Com. He reports that Nell Rollings a former police officer for Florence Alabama passed away at the age of 81. Nell was the first female motorcycle patrol officer of her time. This was a highly unusual position for a woman to hold in that day and age, however, she enjoyed what she did and commanded the respect of fellow officers both female and male alike. Nell was known as a tuff, no non-sense officer who patrolled the streets and went on raids with her male counter parts. This feisty female officer even wrote the chief of police a ticket.
In earlier years dating back to the late 1800’s female police uniforms were dresses with a military look. Depending on the time period the dresses were ankle to floor length and the color of gray or black. As years past into the 40’s to 70’s the dresses were shortened to below to knee. Currently, female officers wear the same uniforms as male officers right down to the boots and under garments.
Alice Stebbins may have been the first female officer in the United States; however, when 1968 rolled around there were other firsts for women in law enforcement. There were new trail blazers and pioneers who would make history. "USA Today Nation" at http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2004-04-25-female-police_x.htm, "In 1968, the Indianapolis Police Department became the first U.S. police force to allow women on patrol with responsibilities equal to those of men. Four years later, Congress expanded the Civil Rights Act to ban gender discrimination in public agencies, including police departments. The changes in the law, combined with the growing women's rights movement, created the first waves of female police recruits across the nation."
It was during this time when women were assigned the same roles and responsibilities as male police officers. This did not bode well with men in law enforcement and women had to endure more abusive behavior then before. According to this same article "Penny Haggerty was the first police chief in 1985 for Portland Oregon. Ella Bully-Cummings is the first female police chief of Detroit. Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick hired her in 2002." Now we can see female chiefs of police all over the U.S. Before being promoted to the rank of Chief of Police these same women were the first Sergeants, Lieutenants, Commanders and Deputy Chiefs. It is amazing to think it has only been about 27 years, give or take a few, since women have been able to hold the same responsibilities as men in this career. It has been a wonderful victory for women in law enforcement, they have tackled each hurdle with determination and vigor, however, this struggle has not come without paying a price.
Many of the female chiefs remember the attitudes and reactions by many male officers when they first began in the 70’s. That type of behavior on the male officers' parts has been consistent with other female officer's recollections and statements throughout history. Many of these views have not changed and have created some barriers for women. It has been hard but some of the barriers have been dented and knocked down. Throughout history men have viewed women as the weaker and more inferior sex that needed to be protected. It is still this way today. Even though women have jumped leaps and bounds in the law enforcement they have suffered and still suffer great oppositions from their male counter parts.
A typical male officer's view of female officers is they cannot handle the job. They're not strong enough and cannot perform the job up to par that their male counterparts can. There are numerous accounts of belittling, berating, humiliating, ridiculing and degrading comments and behaviors towards female officers by male officers. According to Wendy Austin author of "The Socialization of Women Police Male Officer Hostility to Female Police Officers", "it is my own experience that male officers may not speak to the female colleague, not returning a greeting, being rude, swearing, telling "off" jokes in her presence, generally undermining and devaluing the female officer by a campaign fo misinformation to her colleagues, misinforming her of operational requirements, tampering with equipment and documentation, physical violence, refusing to respond to her radio calls, taking time responding to radio calls, deliberately misplacing documentation, sexual innuendo, touching, looks…..pedantic behavior in relation to her work, scoffing, slander……the list is endless."
Rarely do women report these incidents due to fear of retaliation and more vindictive harassment. According to Wendy Austin in the above-cited report, "women that make complaints about harassment are usually isolated and scapegoated." Ms. Austin also states that other female officers will become hostile to the female officer's that complain because they have rocked the boat and have gone against the grain. Amid all this hostile treatment are actual studies and reports that contradict the male officers perceptions. "Police Women on Patrol" at http://www.policefoundation.org/policewomen.htm, "females can perform the duties of an officer just as well as male officers. Many studies even have proved that women were better at diffusing or avoiding a potentially violent confrontation". Joseph Balkin states in his 1988 paper "Why Policemen don’t like Police Women" stated "women performed patrol work in a generally similar manner. They responded to women made fewer arrests, and issued fewer traffic tickets. There policing style was less aggressive. Men were more often guilty of unbecoming conduct." Male officers have been caught saying women officers that are assertive in their police work are too aggressive.
As I researched and read numerous articles I was taken aback by the fact that the exact same experiences I was subjected to other women had been subjected to throughout history and around the world. In my opinion, observations, and experiences the uniform, opportunities and responsibilities have changed, however, the attitudes and hostile treatment to female officers have not. It does not matter where we are in this world as women in law enforcement, we are treated universally the same. Male officers are being deliberate and malicious in their treatment of female officers. It’s something that happens every day and is capable of bringing down a female officers self-esteem and self-worth in her personal and professional career. There are now many law enforcement groups for female officers around the world. These groups usually meet annually for training and other events. No other female officer can speak for another; we can only divulge our horrific tales (looking for a supportive ear and encouragement from our fellow sisters in law enforcement. It is at that time do we dare bare our souls, pain and frustrations) to one another of harassment and mistreatment at the hands of our "brothers" that are supposed to support, train and work side by side with us as officers.
I too have been a victim of such treatment and it can definitely alter a female officers life in so many ways. I can attest to this both personally and professionally. When I was a young girl I viewed police officers as strong people that always came to the rescue of others. In my childhood I was kept sheltered from the violent, crime ridden world. I did not watch allot of t.v. nor did I understand officers didn't spend their days saving people and in many cases are not respected by much of the public. I thought everyone liked the police.
I will never forget the words of wisdom that came from one of my female instructor's years ago at the community college I attended. She was one of my favorite instructors that I admired and respected and I still do to this day. I can’t remember what class I had her in that day because I had her for several classes; however, she often relayed her experiences as a former police officer in her lectures. (Loved the stories it always made it interesting) One day she was giving a lecture about police officers and stated (this is not a quote) as women entering into a law enforcement career we should be ready and expect rejection, be made to feel inferior and would be spoke to unkindly at times and would have to prove ourselves a hundred times more than men would have to. I listened but it did not ring true until I was sworn in and began my first day as a police officer. My vision of law enforcement as I had in my head for all those years was crushed in just a few hours. These are just a few experiences I had…..with each incident her words of warning rang in my ear like a huge bell bonging over and over again!
I was sworn in as a police officer in 1997 for a busy and violent city just outside of Detroit Michigan, left in 2003 and began a career at another department that same year. A far cry from the City of Howell where I grew up and definitely not the same as Ann Arbor Michigan where I had raised my son up until that point. I look back and think how I was able to bare it all? It definitely affected my self-worth and self-esteem.
I was compared to another female officer who picked the job up quicker than I did. They referred to her as "Jane Wayne," and I know now that statement was derogatory towards her. I was approached by a male officer and was told I will never amount to or live up to the type of officer she was. He informed me with a smirk on his face and a smile in his eyes that the running bet was I would not last 3 weeks. After all the last female officer only lasted three weeks before she came in and dumped her uniform on the chiefs desk and quit. I was subjected throughout the years to sexual harassment, lewd gestures and jokes, malicious, taunting, hurtful, and sexual comments. I was called names such as prostitute and whore to my face and behind my back. I was left alone to answer calls by myself, having to enter and clear buildings of suspicious activity because male officers would not back me up or they took their sweet time getting there and I was sent away from numerous runs being told I was not needed. That was the beginning of the end for me in a long downward spiral of low self-worth and self -esteem. I had no support system within the department and my family was so proud of me I wouldn't dare disappoint them by telling them what I was going through. I spent my days looking for approval from my peers and really never got it.
However, it gets worse, male officers sat around and watched me fight with a man that jumped on me later telling me that they wanted to see if I could fight and how I would handle the situation. One detective would walk up to me and choke me till I nearly passed out (I remember not being able to breath and saw stars and blackness) telling me I needed to toughen up. Male officers would walk up and try to wrestle my gun out of my holster trying to prove my weakness and to see if I could respond quickly and keep my gun. Another detective would just walk up to me, smirk and stare, shake his head in disgust and walk away. He was proud to say he did not like women or female officers. He definitely made it known that he did not like me.
Before I left in 2003 the experience left me numb, I was drinking a lot, neglecting my duties as a single mother and made poor choices in men. My self-esteem and worth plummeted and the last relationship would end my career at the first department. (To read that story you can go to my blog at http://survivingtheviolence.blogspot.com/) The point is my life had changed into something that wasn’t me when I became a police officer. I loved to work the streets and to interact with people. It made me feel good to know I was doing my part in this world. It was what was going on inside the department that destroyed me. With no support system I slowly sank into something I cannot describe. I was not the same person anymore nor would I ever be the same again.
I left in 2003 for another department. It was just as bad there too. I was scoffed at and harassed by more male officers due to the slanderous words of someone who I had once called my friend. This particular officer was the worst; this officer (for whom I was best friends with him and his wife) told me every day that I owed him sex for getting me the job at the new department. When I rejected him numerous times he became hostile and maliciously slandered my name throughout the station and to his wife who then began threatening me. Several more officers who were his friends at the department started to make comments towards me and called me a prostitute and whore. One of the officers told me not to date black men and to find a nice white fire fighter. A detective would grab his genitals give them a shake and tell me I wouldn’t want anyone else after I had him. Then he would lick his lips. I rejected him as well and he began to throw his authority around, berating and belittling me in front of other officers. I had to make a police report on my former friend for threats and I wrote numerous interoffice memos to the chief in regards to the harassment. Never had I reported anything before at my former department about the harassment by other officers and I found out first hand why so many female officers do not when I decided I was no one's victim anymore. The harassment escalated and became more blatant and malicious! I worked there part time and when a full time position came up I was told by the union president, who was also a Sergeant to "sit down and shut the fuck up if I wanted full time." This was the same union president that signed my complaint about the threats I received via the internet from my former friend and her police officer husband who later threatened me at a charity basketball game. That officer and I were later lectured by the union president who told us to knock off the bickering. I couldn’t believe I had been lectured for being a victim.
Later after I had left the department I was told by my former friend she knew about my complaint against her, her husband and the other officers. She informed me she had copies of all the complaints. The chief had provided those officers with copies who in turn gave them to her. Nothing ever happened to those officers. Nothing! They were the chief’s boys! One day I had enough and decided to verbally express my feelings without mincing words or sugar coating anything. It was a day that numbered my time at the department. The sergeant that always liked to grab his crotch and make lewd comments approached me and told me I would never have to worry about my job, he would take care of everything. I took that as a propositional threat and I told him that "he wasn’t about "shit, the mayor wasn’t about shit and neither was working for the city." (I meant the police department as "the city") Apparently he had an ego to protect and in October of 2004 I was fired for "connecting my leave days to my flex days." (Keep in mind the comment about the mayor was in response to him having fired 9 officers prior to me, including the chief and by the time he was done and voted out of office he had fired 15 officers, 4 fire fighters and several city workers. Every person who could afford it and had a law suit against the city has won!!! Not one person has lost thus far!)
Like so many women before me, I was new and vulnerable. I accepted the behavior as a type of hazing and training at the first department. I accepted the behavior out of fear and wanted to be accepted. Knowing now what I didn’t know then, I wish I would have had the self-esteem to stand up and fight for my-self respect, self-worth and dignity from the first time it happened. I should have documented with complaints from day one. If I would have known about any support systems and groups for female officers at the time, I would have joined. I don’t think this type of experience is what Alice Stebbins had in mind when she fought for other women to have careers in law enforcement. Nor do I think she would be happy that this part of a women’s career in this field has not evolved into something better. Needless to say, years after this was all said and done the same officer that approached me and told me I would never amount to the type of officer that my female partner was and I was only given three weeks to last on the job later confessed to me that I had developed into a real good officer. It was a bitter sweet moment because I knew I no longer had the desire to be a police officer any more due the corruption and malicious treatment; however, it was validation that I was mistreated because I was a female not because I was a bad officer. That is as close as I got to some sort of recognition. However, it did not make up for the years of abuse I took at the hands of my fellow male officers which took a toll on me mentally and emotionally.
A year ago I was offered a job at another police department that I had applied for. After a lot of deep thought I knew in my heart I no longer wanted to be a police officer. The mistreatment and inner-departmental corruption I witnessed throughout the years out weighted my former dream and desire to be a police officer. I know I will be an asset to any career in criminal justice that I choose. My dreams and desires are just at a different level and place now and those experiences, talents and education can be used elsewhere for the better of the whole system.
In closing, I would like to state that despite my experiences as a police officer I believe men and women in law enforcement are courageous and honorable. It can be a very rewarding career and I hope in the future male officers will except females and treat them better in the law enforcement community. Females are here to stay and make wonderful assets to the departments they work for. They bring compassion, strength and determination with them in which all officers can learn from and can be passed on to future officers, man or woman. Male officers should keep in mind that these female officers are going to be their backup someday and need to be trained to do so without the personal views and distractions of the men in the department. An officer is an officer. Train them to be the best officer they can be and be proud of the training that was given due to the level of performance by the new officer. Man or woman. Male officers may also want to consider that these female officers may be their boss someday and the first impression is most definitely a lasting one.
