The first women to be hired as a police officer took place in 1905 in Portland, Oregon. Lola Baldwin was hired for crime prevention and social work. She was never given a uniform, nor did she carry with her a fire arm. She was labeled as a social worker with "quasi-police" powers as she had the power to make arrests. In 1910, the Los Angeles Police Department swore in Alice S. Wells, as the first policewomen. By 1916 30 cities inside of the US had employed women officers. In 1925, 210 cities employed 417 policewomen .By the 1950’s there were 2,610 female officers inside the US and in 1960, there were estimated to be 5,617 policewomen.
Although policewomen were being employed in larger numbers by the 1930s, their job remained constrained to basic custodial and clerical work within the force. In the 1930s, policewomen were required to have a, “good educational background, formal training and experience in social work, pleasant personality, and a positive attitude toward dealing with the problems of women... display high tolerance, common sense, sympathy, and emotional stability.” In the 1940s, policewomen were expected to be college graduates and not overly feminine, aggressive, masculine, sentimental, or coldhearted. In the 1950s, they were required to be dignified, sensible, tactful, sympathetic, neat, attractive, and more interested in others than in themselves. By the 1960s, the duties of policewomen consisted of patrolling city streets, investigating public and recreational facilities, missing persons, and juvenile delinquency. However, patrolling usually involved traffic control only. In addition, during the 1970s, policewomen were warned “that they may often be the only women among men and thus may be pinched, patted, or played with. Therefore, they should not wear excessive makeup, suggestive clothing, or use abrasive language.” Nonetheless they were advised that maintaining their femininity would allow them to gain respect within the organization. Not only were women not accepted within the police force, they had unequal and unreasonable prerequisites, and were required to be masculine and feminine simultaneously.
It wasn't until the 1970’s did policewomen start to receive the same duties as policemen. Women had been occupying custodial type jobs within the police force or they had been strictly dealing with only females or juveniles; whereas policeman had the power to arrest people and were not limited to only working with certain groups of people. However, this is where women in policing started to take shape because policewomen focused on how to prevent crime while men focused on punishing criminals.
Today the roles of women in the police force have changed drastically since the 1970s. Media has portrayed the role of police women positively and the mass movement for women equality has helped shape the roles and duties women have in the police force. Since the 1990s several organizations have been established for women law enforcement officers including The National Association of Women Law Enforcement Executives, The National Center for Women and Policing, and Women in Federal Law Enforcement. Through unification and determination, women were able to advance through law enforcement and reach the same level as their male colleagues.
Although policewomen were being employed in larger numbers by the 1930s, their job remained constrained to basic custodial and clerical work within the force. In the 1930s, policewomen were required to have a, “good educational background, formal training and experience in social work, pleasant personality, and a positive attitude toward dealing with the problems of women... display high tolerance, common sense, sympathy, and emotional stability.” In the 1940s, policewomen were expected to be college graduates and not overly feminine, aggressive, masculine, sentimental, or coldhearted. In the 1950s, they were required to be dignified, sensible, tactful, sympathetic, neat, attractive, and more interested in others than in themselves. By the 1960s, the duties of policewomen consisted of patrolling city streets, investigating public and recreational facilities, missing persons, and juvenile delinquency. However, patrolling usually involved traffic control only. In addition, during the 1970s, policewomen were warned “that they may often be the only women among men and thus may be pinched, patted, or played with. Therefore, they should not wear excessive makeup, suggestive clothing, or use abrasive language.” Nonetheless they were advised that maintaining their femininity would allow them to gain respect within the organization. Not only were women not accepted within the police force, they had unequal and unreasonable prerequisites, and were required to be masculine and feminine simultaneously.
It wasn't until the 1970’s did policewomen start to receive the same duties as policemen. Women had been occupying custodial type jobs within the police force or they had been strictly dealing with only females or juveniles; whereas policeman had the power to arrest people and were not limited to only working with certain groups of people. However, this is where women in policing started to take shape because policewomen focused on how to prevent crime while men focused on punishing criminals.
Today the roles of women in the police force have changed drastically since the 1970s. Media has portrayed the role of police women positively and the mass movement for women equality has helped shape the roles and duties women have in the police force. Since the 1990s several organizations have been established for women law enforcement officers including The National Association of Women Law Enforcement Executives, The National Center for Women and Policing, and Women in Federal Law Enforcement. Through unification and determination, women were able to advance through law enforcement and reach the same level as their male colleagues.