It’s hard to believe in the present time, but there was a
moment in recent history where women were assigned to patrol cars on an “experimental”
basis, and in only a few police departments nationwide. The Dallas Police
Department was one that participated in the “experiment.”
Indianapolis, Indiana became the first police department to
assign uniformed policewomen to squad cars. Peoria, Illinois in 1972, had a
policy of equal pay for equal work and had assigned four women to special 1-person
“report cars” and six to the streets.
In June, 1972 the DMN wrote an article that the assistant director
of the Police Foundation, Catherine Milton, after a 10-month study, came to the
conclusion that most major U.S. cities, including Dallas, were turning away
qualified women at a time when departments across the country were having
trouble attracting qualified male recruits to train to become police officers.
The study came to the conclusion that women, if properly
trained, can perform patrol duties as effectively as men and have certain
advantages in potentially dangerous situations. Despite the availability of
women, urban police departments have set quotas on the number of women who may
enter a police force, Ms. Milton said. The study also found that average
policewoman is better educated than her male counterpart and less apt to
provoke violence when she is presented with a potentially volatile
confrontation.
“I was surprised by the depth of antagonism against women,” said
Ms. Milton who had visited most of the nation’s major urban police departments
during the study, but also said that “I also was surprised by the number of
police chiefs willing to take a chance.”
The study credited the Dallas Police Department and Chief
Frank Dyson with improving morale of Dallas policewomen by opening promotional
examinations, hiring additional women and ordering his staff not to use
policewomen as secretaries. (?)
Yes it’s pretty amazing to be presented these scenarios
where a policewoman in 1972, would possibly become a secretary.
The quota for woman in the DPD increased from 21 to 32 in
October, 1971, by order of Chief Dyson. However DPD policewomen, like those all
over the country, typically were not started in patrol but a more specialized
bureau such as juvenile. The report concluded that there was a need, nationally,
for “many more policewomen in patrol and investigative functions.”
In 1972 within the Dallas Police Department, there were 34
black officers, 19 were Spanish-speaking and 32 were women in a department of
1800 officers.
A few weeks later a story appeared in the Dallas Morning
News where the DPD appeared to be finally ready to accept the idea of placing
uniformed women in squad cars. All signals were a go and indicated that the DPD
would soon place a few “carefully screened” policewomen in squad cars by
mid-summer 1972 on an experimental basis. However Chief Dyson stated that “I
don’t want to be pushed into using women in patrol cars before a proper program
is developed.” This apparently was a direct reference specifically to growing
pressure from the women’s lib movement in Dallas, and generally nationwide.
Chief Dyson said that the selection process is important. “First,
you must get women willing to work patrol. Second, these women must have the
proper attitude in that they must not expect to be treated as a woman on the
street.” He also said “Keep in mind, these women (on patrol) are police and
they stand a chance of being hurt.”
Dyson confirmed that the trend across the country towards a
more liberal policy in the assignment of women police is having an effect in
Dallas.
Yes, times were changing in police work, by the time this
writer hired on with DPD in 1977, female officers were totally integrated into
police work with the DPD. Really I don’t remember it being any big deal
training alongside female recruits. It was already accepted and welcomed by the
other male recruits in the academy, that being class #148. What are up to now, class #1153 or something?
Wow, time flies.
By the way, Miami Florida was the first to assign a uniformed
female sergeant to supervise men on patrol.
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