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women suffrage history
women suffrage history
women suffrage history
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Women in policing have always been controversial in that the size and demeanor of a woman could not measure up to that of a male officer. Many argue that women are not physically strong enough to handle violent or potentially violent situations. Some feel the woman’s personal life such as marriage and family will interfere with their work, ironically the same people do not show that concern for male officers. Feminist and others argue that a woman can do anything a man can do and policing is one of them. Throughout history women have held different roles in the law enforcement field. Women have shown that not only can they be an asset to law enforcement but in some areas they excel above their male counterparts.
Obstacle: Perception of Women
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Alice Stebbin Wells was the first woman to be called a police officer although her main duties were that of a social worker. She started for the Los Angeles Police Department in 1910. Although many feel that since she was given police powers, Lola Baldwin was the first officer in 1905, however her role was that as a governess over social workers. During World War II, more women were hired as officers but were more so seen as assistants to the male officers. They worked as secretaries and dispatchers. It wasn’t until 1968, when Betty Blankenship and Elizabeth Coffal were sworn in as officers of the Indianapolis Police Department, that women actually went on patrols and held the same duties as male officers. Less than 20 years later, Penny Harrington became the first female police chief. Atlanta Georgia elected Beverly J Harvard as police chief. She was the first African American woman to be police chief. (Women and Policing, …show more content…
As of 2011, women accounted for 11% of law enforcement officers. According to the Bureau of Justice, most women officers serve in specialty fields such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation and IRS Criminal Investigation Division. Detroit Michigan has the highest percentage of female officers in the US with 27% with Philadelphia Pennsylvania coming close to 22%. Police departments actively recruit women officers many departments offer modified testing for women such as with the Michigan Commission of Law Enforcement Standards. The physical testing is modified so that women can have an equal opportunity. It is hard to argue that women are as strong as their male counterparts however women have shown to be able to not only compete with them in the law enforcement field but surpass in many
Women bring unique skills and techniques to policing such as: compassion and understanding during undesirable and traumatic incidents. Although, women do not possess the muscles or physical strength as the male officers, they do have effective invaluable interpersonal skills. Females are viewed as threats by their male peers. Women face prejudice, peer bullying, and sometimes sexual harassment during their career in law enforcement (Criminal Justice School Info, 2014). The male officers believe that women have unfair advantages when it comes to getting promotions or advancements. In actuality, a lot of women in law enforcement are afraid to apply for higher positions due to fear of maltreatment by the male officers. Women who work in law enforcement often feel as if they must “prove themselves” beca...
...erall, I think that this interview has taught me that every law enforcement officer have a different opinion and it should be voiced. Mr. Cayette told me exactly how he felt without holding back. It was different just listening to the responses because it was said by an actual officer instead of just another ordinary person expressing how they feel. The interview also made me realize that people cannot be mad at every police officer for one police officer’s wrong doing. According to National Law Enforcement Memorial Fund, “There are more than 900,000 sworn law enforcement officers now serving in the United States, which is the highest figure ever. About 12 percent of those are female.” People should stop listening to the media all the time because it does convince people to hate police officers because there are many police officers in the U.S. with good intentions.
Van Wormer, Katherine S., and Bartollas, Clemens. Women and the Criminal Justice System. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 2000.
Prenzler, T. 1995. Equal employment opportunity and policewomen in Australia. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Criminology, 28/3, 258-77.
The Corsten Report (2007) on women in the criminal justice system states that ‘equal outcomes require different approaches’. Critically consider this statement with reference to research and practice.
Coughenour, J. Separate and Unequal: Women in the Federal Criminal Justice System. JSTOR. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Mar. 2014
When the criminal justice system was established, the main objective was to create neutrality and fairness between the sexes. Even though people might believe that there is no such thing as ‘stereotyping’ in the criminal justice system, it is quite obvious that women are constantly being look down upon because of their sex. In general, women tend to be treated like fragile objects that could break at any moment; the truth is that women can be strong and courageous just like men. Society stereotypes women and the criminal justice system is no different.
By the turn of the twentieth century, criticism was developing over the ineffective and illegitimate character of local police departments. During this time period, the Progressive Era, many changes were taking place in America. Urbanization was bringing many people to large, increasingly industrial cities of the day. City officials were required to redesign many facets of urban life as cities continued to grow. This atmosphere of reform was also carried over into policing. Roberg et al. argues that the 1920s to 1960s were “probably the most significant period in the development of policing in the United States” (2012). During this time period, the foundations of professionalization were laid down. The reform model of policing dominated police work during this time period (Roberg et al. 2012). This model was characterized by a commitment to base the police-community relationship on law and police policy. It was now understood that police action should not be influenced by politics or personal opinions. To avoid this, police departments were now efficiently and centrally m...
Our society has become one that is very diverse. Law enforcement agencies (local, state, and federal) for our changing society need to include an increase representation of women and minorities, definite improvement in leadership skills, and to strengthen community policing. These are all issues of great importance, which are no longer going to be pushed aside.
The first police department in America developed in New York and began the first era of policing which spanned from the 1830s to 1900 and is known as the political era (Walker & Katz, 2012). As emphasized by Walker (1999) not only did the political era of policing revolve around politics but provided officers with little to no training, education or recruitment standards (as cited in Police: History, 2014). The era also forced shaky job security for law enforcement and officers could be fired and hired at any point with little to no reason. Even men with criminal records were foot patrolling and women were only seen as “matrons” for the jail; they did not carry weapons and often times had very little arrest discretion (Walker & Katz, 2012). According to Walker and Katz (2012), “a $300 payment to the Tammany Hall poli...
We will likely see even more changes in the near future due to the many proposals to increase the number of women and ethnic minority officers in our police forces. An example of near change is the use of a hiring quota system. Under this system there is a requirement to recruit a specified number of minority and/or women officers. This may require the modification of standards and qualifications that could discriminate against these groups in order to achieve the required quota. Although this is a future option, we can see its methods are already being implemented in the past decades abolishment of height, weight, and age restrictions.
One day in the distant future I want to become a police officer and eventually became a detective of some sort. But before becoming a detective one must be a patrol officer for the first few years of their career, and in this paper, it can hopefully give you some valuable information on how to start off being a patrol officer for the Gilbert Police Department.
Price, B. (1996). Female Police Officers in the United States. Female Police Officers in the Untied States. Retrieved from https://www.ncjrs.gov/policing/fem635.htm
Feminist criminology is the study of crime in terms of gender for example why men commit more crime than women, why women do more petty crimes, like shop lifting, than violent crime, sexism in the court system, and female victimization. Feminist criminology contains many branches. Liberal, radical, Marxist, and socialist feminism are widely recognized, although other "strands" exist such as postmodernism and ecofeminism. Most feminist criminology involves critiques about how women offenders have been ignored, distorted, or stereotyped within traditional criminology, but there is no shortage of separate theories and modifications of existing theories.
Diversity and law enforcement can have both beneficial and also face many challenges as well. Many people feel that it can only be a good thing to have diversity which is not necessarily true as you will find out later on. Just because you are the same nationality or skin color as someone does not always mean you won’t get stopped or you will get an easy pass ironically they could even be harder on you. Diversity is important in law enforcement to prevent prejudice and promote understanding. Diversity allows for new methods in law enforcement, creating a positive legal force. I will explain why our society can benefit from diversity in law enforcement. Diversity can include a number of things but not excluded to race, empathy, effective communication, compassion intelligence, and the ability to relate to people on a personal level. The relation between the diverse people can only be explained between each other, such as gay and lesbian people will feel more comfortable talking to other gay and lesbian people. People feel more comfortable around their own people as far as minorities also. Law enforcement is such a predominately middle age job usually dominated by white men, that many of these groups don’t even bother trying to apply for the jobs because they automatically feel that they are going to be discriminated against or just not get the job because of how they look and not fitting the standard which has been set for years.