...Women in Policing History, duties, and leadership roles Melissa Carpenter Genesee Community College Author Note This paper was prepared for Administration in Criminal Justice 205, Section 99, taught by Professor Bushen Abstract: The journey of women in policing and police leadership has been long and strewn with obstacles and issues. The aim of this paper is to examine and discuss women in the policing. This paper will attempt to discuss the struggles and problems women face when taking a leadership role. This paper will give a brief history of the roles women played when first being introduced into the criminal justice system along with the roles they obtain now. When thinking of people in the criminal justice field especially that of police officers, chief of police, prosecutor, etc. many people often picture men in those positions. For many decades the criminal justice system was a male-dominated field and although men still hold a majority of these positions, more women are stepping up and taking initiative to lead in these areas. “In most cultures across the globe, males hold more power and privilege—both publicly and privately—than females. Men control more of the wealth, hold the highest position in government and industry, control the military, make more scientific and scholarly discoveries, and are more prominent in sports and entertainment than women” (Goodstein). This paper will discuss the roles of women in the criminal justice system...
Words: 1666 - Pages: 7
...Women and Minorities in Law Enforcement Women and minorities can be found in many policing agencies across the United States. Unfortunately the history of policing in the United States portrays how hard it was for women and minorities to become police officers. Additionally history also shows how the minorities and women rose up to earn an equal opportunity to represent their communities as police officers. An All White Male Club Police agencies in earlier years lack several elements that most present day police agencies have. In history most police agencies lack both ethnic and gender diversity (Grant, 2008). As the 1960’s and 1970’s pass through, many equal opportunity and equal rights movements occurred, which opened up opportunities for women and minorities. Legislation was passed such as the 1964 Civil Rights Act which helped minorities fight employment discrimination by policing agencies (Grant, 2008). Eventually Affirmative action was born, which made policing agencies overlook ethnic and gender criteria, and hire personal based on their performance and qualifications. Their Changing Role With an equal opportunity of becoming police officers, many women and minorities need to adjust to their new roles. Women in today’s policing agencies currently answer more domestic abuse calls because they have been statistically better at handling those situations then male police officers (Grant, 2008). Policewomen also tend to hold more roles in community...
Words: 448 - Pages: 2
...Women and Minorities in Law Enforcement Throughout policing history the roles of women and minorities have changed tremendously. In this paper I will discuss the role of women and minorities throughout policing history, how it has changed over time, how the change has affected modern policing agencies and compare women and men police recruits. In 1972 the act “Tittle VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act” prohibited employment discrimination on the basis of color, race, religion or sex (Grant & Terry, 2008). Policing was considered to be a white man’s job and if any women were hired they were more like social workers. Because laws were created there was political pressure to hire women and minorities. Overtime the role of women and minorities have changed because of the increase of hire rates among them. A major change in women policing is that women were assigned to patrol duty (Walker & Katz, 2011). According to Walker & Katz, Hispanic and African American officers are the majority in some departments today. There are also gay and lesbian officers. The roles changing have affected modern policing agencies such as women and minorities holding high ranks. There has also been an increase in diversity among police departments which may have been difficult at times. When the police were looking for recruits the males more than likely didn’t have a high school diploma and were only required to know how to speak, read and write English well enough to get by. The women recruits...
Words: 303 - Pages: 2
...their career in policing, and their role in society. The article I will use as a reference is called, “POLICE women or police WOMEN?” by Cara E. Rabe-Hemp. She explains how women in policing are depicted and the emphasis of conforming to police subculture. Gender Characteristics Women are normally depicted into a certain stereotype based on how they look. For example, if a women has short hair or doesn’t wear make-up, she’s “butch” or too masculine. On the other hand if a women wears a lot of make-up or has long hair, she’s a “slut”. Those stereotypes are the same when...
Words: 607 - Pages: 3
...workforce is a problem many upper-level management leaders are experiencing on a daily basis. These leaders understand that diversity within the workforce is one way to increase fairness and justice in society by promoting equality and non-discrimination in the treatment of its members (Workman-Stark, 2015). Many of our communities, just like the workforce, are made up of individuals of varying genders, nationalities, religions, sexual orientations, and ages. To best serve the public’s needs, all managers, but especially those of policing agencies should aim to fill their departments with a diverse group of individuals that reflects the populations in which they serve. A diverse...
Words: 1086 - Pages: 5
...Abstract There are many factors in which comprise the impact of females in policing, one in which how they are treated within the work environment. Other things do come into play when trying to increase females in policing such as expanding on the diversity being accepted in police agencies. Many females think they are treated unfairly and unjust according to the system, it seems to always come back to the fact that women feel like they are being mistreated which needs to be changed. Females should not feel inferior to males within the workplace even if they are feeling belittled by other male officers. One way females can “vent” about what is being said or done to them, is mentoring within the workplace; this will help them with stress, and getting more comfortable with the job by being able to talk to someone about it. There are many positive affects that females have in law enforcement, and knowing that there should be a population growth with females in policing. Police departments are more diverse today than ever before. Females in policing are known to have a positive impact within all law enforcement, policing being most common. Many things come into play when females are within law enforcement, some being good, and some bad. Females do come across problems within the workplace, but so do males; this factor not setting them apart from males on the job. Females make a huge impact on policing in many ways, in which are positive to law enforcement. Although there are not...
Words: 2170 - Pages: 9
...Jordon Roman COMP110 4/22/15 Women in The Police Force In today's world men and women are looked at as equals, but for some reason when it comes to certain jobs they are looked at differently. There are still jobs that are expected of men to do and not women. People still say things like “A women can’t do a mans job”, which is very unfair to say and in some cases a women may be able to perform the job better than a man. In some scenarios that police face everyday a womans mind may think differently then a mans. Woman use different parts of their brain and estrogen and testosterone make the brain work differently. Estrogen influences performance on tests of fine motor skills and spatial ability. Women can be in the police force but they...
Words: 1345 - Pages: 6
...Write a 200- to 300-word response addressing the following questions: Throughout policing history, what has been the role of women and minorities? How has the role of women and minorities changed over time? How has this role change affected modern policing agencies? What comparisons can you make regarding the criteria for women police recruits and men police recruits? Throughout policing history the role of women and minorities were hired to police their own group of people and both were segregated within their departments. Both groups had to have higher qualifications than their white male counterparts did. One of the necessities for black males was a college education but both minority males and women were not allowed to be promoted farther than the rank of police officer. They seldom were considered for any special assignments unless that assignment dealt with their race and it was felt that they could be helpful for that type of case. Throughout history, policing in America is closely tied to local political shifts; therefore, the minorities and women positions were based on who was in office. Minorities and all women would be hired when local politicians felt that there was a need and they would be fired when new politicians took office. Over time, with the help of social changes and legal mandates minorities and women entered law enforcement in record numbers. Woman continues to leave their mark on the criminal justice system. Today, the attitudes...
Words: 470 - Pages: 2
...Police Culture Marissa Efros, Lysa Lawson, Awele Meju, Makita Walker, Joseph Washington CJA/214 May 24, 2012 Jesse Banks Police Culture The history of policing can be traced back to the beginning of time. When looking at the subject of police work there is a large culture and history that follows along with it. There are many topics that can be analyzed when identifying, and describing the elements and the significances that are associated with policing. A large element of the police job that plays a large factor in the work and attributes to the policing culture is the amount of stress that an office will face while performing on the job. Another part of the job that plays a large part in the culture of policing can be found when one examines how women and ethnic minorities have achieved equality in law enforcement. Finally, policing culture can be analyzed when looking at the internal and external mechanisms that influence and control police discretion. Police culture continues to puzzle the average citizen; not belonging to “the brotherhood.” Police officers command a certain respect simply by donning the uniform and carrying a badge. The police culture provides many benefits to individuals who belong to this private organization. Officers of the law have their own social circle that only persons with a badge and uniform are allowed to be a member of. Also, it has been shown that police officers have difficulty in relationships...
Words: 1344 - Pages: 6
...Week four Women and Minorities Throughout the history of policing the roles of women and minorities has been limited. Some roles of women and minorities throughout policing history include not being able to work a beat, not being able to be selected for higher ranking, Where there was a community made up of primarily minorities such as a Hispanic neighborhood more Hispanic police officers would patrol in that area and where there were more African Americans in a neighborhood that is where African Americans would patrol. The role of women and minorities has changed by the selection process, jobs that women and minorities can do, how high they can rank, and areas that they would normally patrol. These individuals are able to move up to as high as a chief of police and it is not based on their gender or race, but it based on tenure and performance. Women and minorities are also not being segregated against within their force or treated differently. Such as, women having to use the same locker room as men and now being able to have separated locker rooms. This role change has affected modern day policing agencies by making them more diverse instead of policing being dominated by the majority race and males. Individuals are not being hired based upon race or gender, but their ability to take the required written and physical exams as required. Comparisons that can be made regarding the criteria for women police recruits and men police recruits are that the test are the...
Words: 319 - Pages: 2
...Checkpoint: Women and Minorities in Law Enforcement Response Shaketra Jones CJS/210 11/18/2011 Rick Jackson Throughout the policing of history the roles of women and minorities has been limited due to discrimination. Some roles of women and minorities throughout policing history excluded them from working many assignments, like patrol, and barred them from getting promotions. The African American police officers patrol in their community that consisted of African Americans families. As well as Hispanic police officers patrolling only in the Hispanic area. In the late 1960’s everything begin to change when the Civil Rights Act came into place. Employment discrimination suits under Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act have been a major factor in increasing the number of minorities and women in policing. The women and minorities roles have changed over time. The women and minorities are allowed to patrol areas all over regardless of their skin color. They are able to rank higher in areas around the department and are equally treated fair among each other. Policewomen are able to perform the same job like the policemen. The role change has affected modern policing for the better. Everyone is able to come together as one to help out their community. Individuals are not being hired based on their race, height, gender, or they ability to perform their duties. The role change has made them diverse and equal. The comparisons are they both take the same test and train...
Words: 270 - Pages: 2
...Women and Minorities in Law Enforcement . Throughout policing history women and minorities have played roles in the equality opportunities in the workplace legislation. During the Nixon Administration the federal government began to push employers to make a "good faith effort" to employ women and minorities and to track their progress. In 1969 the act “Executive Order” was passed by President Nixon which stated that the federal government could not use sex as a requirement for hiring which changed policing within the Federal Bureau of Investigations and municipal police departments. In 1972 the act “Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act” prohibited employment discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, or sex (Grant & Terry, 2008). Before these acts were enforced, it was nearly impossible for women and minorities to get a job in policing. To improve and enhance the police community relations in minority communities, it was important to increase minority police officers in the law enforcement. Minority police officers have increased in modern times due to immigration and having an officer that can speak other languages has proven to be quiet useful to police departments. The increase of policewomen officers was important to improve police community relations in the communities after the civil rights movement. During World War II the number of women in the police force also increased (Grant & Terry, 2008). This role of women and minorities has affected modern...
Words: 373 - Pages: 2
...2013 Jeffrey Scott Minorities in Law Enforcement Throughout the history of policing the roles of women and minorities has been limited. [ Some roles of women and minorities throughout policing history include not being able to work a beat, not being able to be selected for higher ranking, Where there was a community made up of primarily minorities such as a Hispanic neighborhood more Hispanic police officers would patrol in that area and where there were more African Americans in a neighborhood that is where African Americans would patrol. In the Past: Subjugated to a lesser status than men, paid less for equal work, unequally represented in governments and as CEOs. In the Present: They are rocking and still third world countries women are yet to be developed. This is possible only through education. In US policing there is typically a state police force, but crimes are usually handled by local police forces which usually only cover a few municipalities. National agencies, such as the FBI, only have jurisdiction over federal crimes or those with an interstate component. Funding by different levels of government determines jurisdiction. Sheer size: the smaller size of a woman allows for better use of cover and concealment.. Women have better vision in low light, better peripheral vision and better hearing. [ They can hear a broader range of sound frequencies and tones in the human voice. Women are better at multitasking; however, we have to watch out that we don't do three...
Words: 288 - Pages: 2
...from the study of various criminology scholars as well as scrutinising the impact of any changes or improvement that may have since occurred in policing. The Government defines domestic violence (DV) as "Any incident of threatening behaviour, violence or abuse (psychological, physical, sexual, financial or emotional) between adults who are or have been intimate partners or family members, regardless of gender or sexuality." This includes issues of concern to black and minority ethnic (BME) communities such as so called 'honour killings' [homeoffice.gov.uk]. In analysing the adequacy of police response to domestic violence, it is vital to firstly understand the scale of abuse against victims of DV. Several statistics, such as Stanko’s study in the year 2000, found that police in the UK received one call every minute for support concerning domestic violence. According to Dodd et al (2004), only 40.2% of actual domestic violence crimes are reported to the police. Moreover, 20 incidents of DV may have occurred before it is reported [Walby and Myhill, 2000]. As of 2005, 17% of all reported crimes were of Domestic Violence (Nicholas et al). What's more, even though the concept of domestic violence is not targeted at a particular gender, it focuses more on women. Consequently, the 2002 report from the Council of Europe shows that one in four women experience domestic violence during their lifetimes while one in ten are victims of DV every year. Overall, 40 per cent of female murder victims...
Words: 2918 - Pages: 12
...directed to an 80-block hotspot area where the homicide rate was 20 times the national average. It represented a unique approach to crime prevention through preventive patrol. Question 1 Is this approach different from traditional patrol? If so how? If not, how is it similar? What did patrol officers in this experiment do that was different from what basic patrol officers do? What was the relationship between the officers in this experiment and other patrol officers? The Kansas City Gun Experiment was a police patrol project that aimed at reducing gun violence, drive-by shootings, and homicides. The purpose of the experiment was to focus on gun crime “hot spots” through problem-solving policing and directed patrol in high-crime areas. The overall goal was to prove that this style of policing would reduce crime by removing guns from the streets and deterrence through aggressive enforcement (Walker & Katz, 2006, p 295) Routine traditional patrol maintained in five beats, which included marked police cars, rapid response to calls, arrests and follow-up investigations. The final five beats involved in the experiment used a proactive patrol approach, increasing patrol to twice the norm. The extra officers worked from 7:00 pm to 1:00 am, seven days/week during the hours when the most gun-related crimes occur. Police officers assigned to the experimental area were those who had been patrolling it prior to the experiment, tended to be white, relatively young, and somewhat new to...
Words: 1631 - Pages: 7
