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Policewoman: Her Service and Ideals

NCJ Number
142146
Author(s)
M E Hamilton
Date Published
1971
Length
221 pages
Annotation
This historical overview, first published in 1924, examines how the policewoman became an integral part of American police departments and an agent of the community in terms of preventing crime and assisting those who were often victimized by crime.
Abstract
The author discusses how women broke into the field of police work and how their attitudes toward police work differed from their male counterparts. The need for policewomen was recognized when crime prevention was linked to working with children. The early policies of New York City in hiring and using policewomen are used here as an example of correctly utilizing the service of women in police work. The first female officers there had training in the social sciences and worked on child welfare issues. The book discusses other related topics including standards for policewomen, education and training, and precinct assignments. The typical policewoman's role in her department was dealing with runaways, missing persons, female and delinquent offenders, and crime prevention.