NCJ Number
194671
Journal
Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management Volume: 24 Issue: 4 Dated: 2001 Pages: 550-562
Date Published
2001
Length
13 pages
Annotation
This article presents an overivew of the special concerns and experiences of African-American policewomen.
Abstract
The authors explored the professional interactions of African-American policewomen and the roles that gender and racial concerns play in those interactions and those officers’ experience in law enforcement. The authors conducted a qualitative study of an unnamed urban police department. The department had 1,400 officers and 21 African-American female officers. All 21 officers participated in the study. The study consisted of individual 90 minute interviews with each subject. Interview topics included African-American female officer’s perceptions of their interactions with African-American male officers, white female officers, white male officers, and African-American citizens. Based upon social science research references and the interview results, the authors concluded that African-American female police officers remained isolated from the general police culture and further, that this isolation was not self-imposed, but was inherent in the current relational system. Peer support and increased participation of African-American women in police employment are suggested as avenues for improvement of this situation. 44 References