NCJ Number
48072
Journal
Police Chief Volume: 42 Issue: 4 Dated: (APRIL 1975) Pages: 61-62,81
Date Published
1975
Length
3 pages
Annotation
ALTHOUGH THE STATUS OF WOMEN IN POLICE PROFESSIONS HAS IMPROVED CONSIDERABLY SINCE 1971, SOME OF THE CHANGES IN SEXUALLY DISCRIMINATORY ATTITUDES AND HIRING PRACTICES HAVE BEEN SUPERFICIAL.
Abstract
IN 1971 THERE WERE APPROXIMATELY 3,700 WOMEN EMPLOYED FULL-TIME IN AMERICAN POLICE DEPARTMENTS. MOST OF THESE WERE EMPLOYED IN PRIMARILY SECRETARIAL AND CLERICAL POSITIONS. WHERE WOMEN WERE BEING USED IN OTHER PHASES OF LAW ENFORCEMENT, IT WAS USUALLY ON A TRIAL BASIS. A 1971 STUDY OF WOMEN POLICE OFFICERS INDICATED THAT WOMEN WERE EMPLOYED IN FORCES IN THE FOLLOWING CITIES ONLY: DALLAS, TEXAS; INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA; MIAMI, FLORIDA; NEW YORK, NEW YORK; PEORIA, ILLINOIS, AND WASHINGTON, D.C. ALTHOUGH THE EXPERIMENTS WITH WOMEN POLICE OFFICERS WERE PESSIMISTICALLY RECEIVED AT THE OUTSET, THEY HAVE BEEN UNDENIABLY SUCCESSFUL. PERHAPS AS A RESULT OF THIS SUCCESS AND THE CHANGING ATTITUDES TOWARD WOMEN, OPPORTUNITIES FOR WOMEN IN LAW ENFORCEMENT HAVE INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY. THE COMPOSITION OF A BALANCED POLICE FORCE SHOULD MIRROR THE DEMOGRAPHIC COMPOSITION OF THE GENERAL POPULATION. IN VIEW OF THE FACT THAT WOMEN COMPRISE 51 PERCENT OF THE TOTAL POPULATION, A GLARING NEED FOR MORE WOMEN IN LAW ENFORCEMENT EXISTS. MOREOVER, IN MANY CASES WOMEN PERFORM MORE THOROUGH AND BENEFICIAL SERVICES IN A NUMBER OF POLICE RESPONSIBILITIES SUCH AS SEX OFFENSES AND DOMESTIC DISPUTE CASES. WOMEN WITH PROPER TRAINING ARE ALSO RECOGNIZED AS EFFECTIVE AGENTS IN NARCOTICS AND OTHER INVESTIGATORY ROUTINES. SEX DISCRIMINATION WITHIN POLICE DEPARTMENTS HAS EXISTED FOR MANY YEARS; ONLY RECENTLY HAS THIS BEGUN TO CHANGE. WHILE WOMEN MAY NO LONGER BE TURNED AWAY SIMPLY ON THE BASIS OF THEIR SEX, A NUMBER OF POLICE DEPARTMENT ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA AND TESTS TEND TO COVERTLY DISCRIMINATE AGAINST FEMALE APPLICANTS, AND MANY ARBITRARY LIMITATIONS ARE STILL BEING PLACED UPON WOMEN. IT IS SUGGESTED THAT THIS IS NOT ONLY IN VIOLATION OF TITLE 7 OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS ACT BUT VIOLATES THE PRECEPTS OF A REPRESENTATIVE AND DEMOCRATIC POLICE FORCE IN A DEMOCRATIC SOCIETY. (JAP)