Police Women: Life with the Badge

(Hardback)

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It is often said that a woman must do a job twice as well as a man in order to get half the credit. This is particularly true of women in law enforcement. Women have been involved in various forms of policing for the last 100 years, but it wasn't until the Equal Employment Act of 1970 that women could move from the job of meter maids to patrol and detective work. Yet less than 1% of all top-level cops are women, and there remain significant obstacles in the career paths of women in the force. This book looks at the history of women police officers and provides first-hand accounts of women at every level, including those who drop out. It addresses discrimination, competition, lack of mentoring, differential treatment and sexual harrassment, examining what issues play into the decision to stick it out or leave that many policewomen face. It also considers the family issues these women return home to at the end of the day. It is often said that a woman must do a job twice as well as a man in order to get half the credit. This is particularly true of women in law enforcement. Women have been involved in various forms of policing for the last 100 years, but it wasn't until the Equal Employment Act of 1970 that women could move from the job of meter maids to patrol and detective work. Yet less than 1% of all top-level cops are women, and there remain significant obstacles in the career paths of women in the force. This book looks at the history of women police officers and provides first-hand accounts of women at every level, including those who drop out. It addresses discrimination, competition, lack of mentoring, differential treatment, and sexual harrassment. It looks at what plays into the decision to stick it out or leave that many policewomen face. It also considers the family issues these women return home to at the end of the day. Unlike other treatments of the subject, Alt and Wells show how women have changed police work into a more community-oriented model of policing, reduced police violence, served as a strong force to promote a more effective response to domestic violence within police departments, and helped with community-police relations. With a combination of first-hand accounts, careful research, and lively analysis, the authors are able to convey the actual experiences of women who have made their careers behind the shield.

Reviews

Wells and Alt offer a well-written and noteworthy monograph of women in police work. Beginning with a brief but concise history of women in US policing, the authors examine the broad range of challenges faced by women who desire to be police officers. They then scrutinize the many difficulties faced by women officers today, most paramount being sexual and gender harassment. These difficulties are further witnessed by the fact that currently only about 10 percent of sworn officers are women. Ending on a positive note, Wells and Alt accurately outline the important advantages women bring to law enforcement, especially in the present context of community policing. This volume would be good supplementary reading to a wide variety of courses on policing and law enforcement. Recommended. Most levels/libraries. * Choice *

Author Bio

Sandra K. Wells After 29 years, Sandra K. Wells retired as Cheif Investigator with the District Attorney's office in Pueblo, Colorado, and now teaches at Pueblo Community College and Colorado State University-Pueblo. She is the co-author of Wicked Women (2000) and Fleecing Grandma and Grandpa (Praeger, 2004). Betty L. Alt is Lecturer at Colorado State University and has published several books including Wicked Women (2000/2001), Black Soldiers, White Wars (Praeger, 2002), and Fleecing Grandma and Grandpa (Praeger, 2004).