17 November 2009
Most of the time when I'm reading to relax I prefer fiction. That said, I've received a couple of books across the past year or so that are historical books about topics I find to be of interest. History in Blue is about the history of women in law enforcement. Since I.ve had a long standing interest in women and an on-going interest in law enforcement I thought this might be one I'd enjoy. I certainly learned things I never knew and realized that our country has somewhat of a lack of logic where women in the law enforcement profession are concerned. Let me explain...
In 1893, Chicago's mayor gave Marie Owens the title of "patrolman," even though she had no authority to walk a beat. She did "women's work" and was a patrolman in name only. Throughout her 30 years of service, she was never allowed to wear a uniform. It would take nearly a century for women to be able to join the police ranks as full-fledged officers. Even today, women comprise just 15 percent of the nation's nearly one million law enforcement officers. Spanning 160 years, History in Blue is the first book to tell the riveting story of the uphill struggle for respect and recognition sustained by women in the modern police force. Featuring rare photographs and original interviews with pioneering female officers, this fascinating book chronicles the ongoing fight for equality in the world of law enforcement.*
*Excertped from the back cover of the book.
Starting all the way back in 1845, the author offers insight into what a female's life and day might be like if she were to pursue a career in law enforcement. The title given for Chapter One sums it up nicely: Limited Duties, Little Respect. In those early years, with female "matrons" assigned in New York prisons to watch over the female inmates, the women in law enforcement were accepted only grudgingly.
With that scene as a foundation, the author takes us through more than 160 years of history focusing on female growth in the law enforcement career field and industry. Indeed, the subtitle of the book is 160 Years of Women Police, Sheriffs, Detectives, and State Troopers. There are seven chapters to the book:
- Limited Duties, Little Respect (1845-1900)
- The First Policewomen (1900 - 1920)
- Social Enforcers (1920 - 1950)
- The Long Uphill Battle (1950 - 1970)
- Forced Progress (1970 - 1980)
- Steady Movement (1980 - 2009)
- Summing Up and Looking Ahead
In addition to those chapters there is an Introduction, Acknowledgments, Endnotes and Bibliography included. As a man who started my police career in the early 1980s I really hadn't thought much about the status of women in police work. When I went in the army there were women MPs. When I got into the civilian sector there were female officers and deputies. Two of the very best municipal officers I knew in the late '80s were women. One of the very best state troopers I've ever met or worked beside is female. Two Chiefs of Police near where I live are female. It was difficult, to say the least, for me to look at the cover of this book and feel that I was driven to read it. After all, we can't change the past.
That was my mindset as I started into it. Needless to say, it caught and held my attention. While it's not an action thriller fiction story that will have you sitting on the edge of your seat, eager to turn every page - it is a very interesting book that draws you just enough into the lives and duties of women in the law enforcement field that you may find it difficult to put down. My own fairly narrow mindset gave way to an interest that pushed me to read much later into each evening than I had intended.
So, I recommend it to you. If you have any interest in the history of law enforcement, know a female officer, or are a women considering entry into the field, this is good information you'll benefit from having - and it's pretty entertaining along the way.
