A woman’s place is in the kitchen. They are meant to be seen, not heard. Her career is raising her children. Welcome to the twenty-first century. The previous statements no longer apply.
In this day and age it is not uncommon to see women in the work force. A household can no longer be run by a single parents’ check. Women are obtaining higher education in order to provide for their growing families. Some choose to be culinary artists or teachers, and some take an interest in criminal justice. To obtain the education and rise above the standards set by the state to become a lawyer is impressive when achieved by anyone, especially a woman. However, there are those that find arguing the law is not as rewarding as enforcing it.
Alice Stebbin Wells was born on June 13th, 1873. Her interest in the police force began with the familiarity she developed with the issues concerning the victimization of juveniles and women, as she was a Pentecostal minister in Kansas. She sought to join the police force because she could see the vulnerabilities within the system. Of course she, being the first woman to apply for a position in law enforcement, was not given a warm welcome. She had to fight! She petitioned the Los Angeles Mayor, Police Commissioner and City Council before her hard work paid off—September 12th, 1910, she was sworn into the Los Angeles Police Department. Alice had started a revolution of sorts and continued to support it. She later founded the International Association of Police Women.
The typical American police officer had been described as a white male for years. Alice paved the way for women in law enforcement, but it took decades to have an effect. In the past thirty years the discrimination against female police officers has been addressed, and in the last twenty years have many police departments tried to actively hire and recruit women. In 1987, roughly 7.6 percent of all police officers were women. Now that percentage has been raised to 12 percent and continues to rise.
There are many challenges and benefits to becoming a police officer as a woman. Many will argue that law enforcement is a job for a man. Women are smaller, weaker, and more delicate than their male counterparts, and are seen as unfit for the job. Due to a man’s chivalrous nature, he will jump to “protect” a female officer, denying these women the chance to prove themselves. On top of all this, there is the belief that women were hired to fulfill the diversity requirements of the state, rather than earning the position themselves. Many male officers view their female coworkers as sex objects. This can lead to sexual harassment in the workplace. Shirley Gray, a retired officer of the Dallas Police, suggested that female officers had to learn to rise above any prejudice and rude remarks.
The benefits are tremendous though! It has been noticed that a female police officer is more calm and collected, encouraging shaky witnesses to speak out, talking reason into a dangerous suspect. The public tend to be more receptive to a female officer as well. There is security in becoming a police officer; there will always be criminals and there will always be a need for people to serve the community as an officer can.
The rights of all applicants of the police force are protected under the 1964 Civil Rights Act and its 1972 amendment guarantee women and members of minority groups equal access to job positions in law enforcement.
There are those that fight against the women joining the force. In July of this year, there was a case involving the discrimination against women. Corpus Christi , Texas was being sued for discrimination by way of requiring female applicants to pass a physical composed for male applicants. The article states that between the years 2005 and 2011 the female pass rate was80 percent lower than the male pass rate. This disqualified a fair amount of worthy and capable women from receiving a job. The argument was that if a woman wants an equal pay check, she should be held to the same standards as a male applicant. Troy Riggs, an assistant city manager said the city had cooperated well with the attacks of the Justice Department and stated the city would follow the Department’s decision.
Another article states an Oakland police officer was denied a promotion after becoming pregnant. She gained favor in the sight of the jury and was awarded $150,000 for lost wages and an extra $1.85 million for emotional distress and permanent damage done to her career and reputation.
I interviewed my father, Andy Werrett, and previous water polo, Deputy J. Whitehead, concerning these issues. My father failed to pass the physical requirements to get onto the force. His argument against women went along with that of the first article: If women wish to be granted the financial standard, they must fit the standard required of any man. In his mind the benefits of being a female cop do not outweigh the negatives. (personal communication, December 4, 2012).
My water polo coach was also the officer that could be found at my high school at any time. School cops are not allowed to stay for a long period of time. When asked about the female officer that would take his job and office the coming year he replied with “I’m excited! I have worked with her before and I know I’ll be leaving the school in capable hands.” He agreed that women are very good at getting the fearful to speak. (personal communication, December 3, 2012).
Today women all over the nation are making an impact on those around them. Alice’s organization thrives to this day. The challenges faced by those women seeking their way into law enforcement can be emotionally and physically draining, but the benefits outweigh them by far and provide a sense accomplishment. A woman should be able to pass a man’s test if she wants a man’s pay, but qualified applicants should be given a second chance. The work these women have put into their careers in baffling and to see them rise even further will brighten our own futures.
Works Cited Gaines, L. K., & Miller, R. L. (2012). Criminal Justice (7th ed.). Mason, Ohio: Cengage.
Female Officer History. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.police-officer-pages.com/femaleofficerhistory.html#axzz2E4KYcsgm
Reuters, . (2012). Justice Department: Texas Police Department Discriminated Against Women. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/03/justice-department-texas-police-department_n_1648004.html
Parker, P. (2012). The Challenges and Benefits of Female Officers In Law Enforcement. Retrieved from http://www.criminaljusticeschoolguide.com/articles/the-challenges-and-benefits-of-female-officers-in-law-enforcement/
International Association of Women Police. (2012). International Association of Women Police. Retrieved from http://www.iawp.org/index.html
QuinStreet, Inc.. (2012). Police Employment: Women in Law Enforcement. Retrieved from http://www.policeemployment.com/resources/articles/women-law-enforcement
Egelko, B. (2012). OAKLAND / Female police officer wins discrimination suit against city Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/OAKLAND-Female-police-officer-wins-2540832.php#ixzz2E9nyxJyA. Retrieved from http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/OAKLAND-Female-police-officer-wins-2540832.php