NCJ Number
183868
Journal
Law Enforcement Technology Volume: 27 Issue: 6 Dated: June 2000 Pages: 76-82
Date Published
June 2000
Length
6 pages
Annotation
The future looks promising for female police, but much work remains to be done for more women to lead in high-ranking positions in law enforcement.
Abstract
Women make up 14.3 percent of sworn law enforcement positions among municipal, county, and State law enforcement agencies with 100 or more sworn officers. The passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and a report of the President’s Commission on Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice appointed in 1967 brought major changes to what was still a traditionally male occupation. However, some would argue that law enforcement still has not fully accepted women. One female police chief comments that sex discrimination is now subtle. Today’s female police still have to prove themselves, but women in the profession say that they are proving themselves as individuals and not as representatives of women in policing as a whole. Nevertheless, the executive director of the Women and Policing Institute says that women are still disproportionately screened out in the selection process for advancement in some agencies and that sexual harassment of women in more extensive in policing than in other professions. She and others recommend that policewomen strive to move up through the ranks. They also urge active recruitment and retention efforts and suggest that having a critical mass of at least 25 percent of women in policing will lead to more women holding leadership positions and increased numbers of women interested in the profession. Photographs