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Women around the world are crashing through the so-called glass ceiling of law enforcement. But in many countries these trail-blazing—and amazing—women are still walking carefully on broken glass.
This comes as no surprise to any woman who has achieved a leadership position in any male-dominated profession. She is still looked upon as an invader—or, at best, a visitor.
Women police commanders especially may feel isolated—excluded from the
camaraderie and informal networking that occurs among men
commanders—and even excluded from the networking that might occur
between women in other supervisory and staff positions.
History in the making
During the American Presidential Primaries, Nancy Pelosi, the first
woman to serve as Speaker of the U.S. House of
Representatives, indicated in a television interview that gender issues
are still part of the package of success.
Her sly smile and the gleam
in her eyes said much more than her carefully chosen words. Pelosi made
history in 2007, when she broke through the marble ceiling of Congress
to become the highest-ranking elected woman in American history -
second in the line of presidential succession.
Like Pelosi, women in law enforcement fight ongoing battles on the road to achieving their goals.
Ongoing battles
Complicating the situation are three important factors:
- There still appears to be a perception among some younger
women that to be mentored by a woman is not as important as being
mentored by a man (albeit, this is slowly changing).
- Public and professional misperceptions persist that women are bitchy or castrating.
- Women
who have achieved leading positions in any profession are still
considered tokens—promoted only to counter cries for diversity in the
Board Room.
In law enforcement, women’s struggle for admission and recognition was
not won overnight. Overall acceptance of women as political, business
or law enforcement leaders is still the exception rather than
commonplace.
We are still working on "firsts" and in some cases
seconds. We’ll know we’ve really made it when there are no headlines
the next time a woman becomes a chief of police, president of a major
corporation, or is elected to a board of directors.
Thanks to the “firsts” in law enforcement, it can and does happen—but
only because of the growing number of trailblazers, who still walk on
the broken glass of the ceilings they shattered.
Role models
When I wrote “Top
Cops: Profiles of Women in Command,” it was my honor to give
international recognition to an outstanding group of 13 women who
distinguished themselves in the law enforcement community.
Each woman I profiled stands as a role model for all of us who strive
for professional success and recognition of our achievements. Most of
them have moved on from their 1999 positions to equally successful
endeavors, professionally and personally.
I’ll briefly introduce them to you here. You can read their full
stories in “Top Cops: Profiles of Women in Command,” available through
the amazingwomenrock.com bookstore and at Brittany Publications, Ltd.
Robin H. Benziger
Captain, New York State Police (Albany, New York). Following a series
of achievements, Robin was promotion to the rank of Major in May 2008,
and appointed Director of Training at the New York State Police
Academy.
Fabienne L. Brooks
Major, King County Sheriffs Office (Seattle, Washington) Fae was
later promoted from Major to Division Chief and headed the Criminal
Investigation Division of the King County Sheriff’s Department in
Seattle. She is currently retired and very active in her community.
Debora Lynn Byers
Bureau Commander, City of Phoenix Police Department (Phoenix, Arizona).
Debora was accepted into the executive development program at the John
F. Kennedy School at Harvard, and later went on to be named an
Assistant Chief for the City of Phoenix Police Department. She
currently serves her community as Assistance Chief of Police in
Glendale, Arizona.
Margo Frasier
Sheriff, Travis County (Austin, Texas) and Advisory Board Member,
National Center for Women & Policing. Margo was Travis County,
Texas' first female and first openly-gay Sheriff, serving two four-year
terms until she stepped down in 2005. She is currently a professor of
criminal justice at Sam Houston State University.
Beverly Joy Hall
Lieutenant, St. Paul Police Department (Minnesota). Several years
after publication of "Top Cops," Bev was promoted to Commander. She was
in charge of St. Paul's downtown patrol unit, and supervised the
investigative unit of the Central [St. Paul] District. Bev retired from
the St. Paul Police Department at the end of 2007, after 28 years of
service.
Penny Harrington
Director Emeritus and founder of the National Center for Women &
Policing in Los Angeles, and a consultant to public and private
agencies on women in the workplace. In 1985, Penny became the first
woman in America to attain the rank of Chief of a major metropolitan
police force. Penny’s career as a trailblazer in law enforcement is
chronicled in her autobiography “Triumph of Spirit,” available through
the amazingwomenrock.com bookstore and at Brittany Publications, Ltd.
Lynn L. Jones
Major, City of Tulsa Police Department (Oklahoma) and Regional
Representative, National Center for Women & Policing. Lynn retired
from the force in 2002, but has stayed very active in the Tulsa
Community. She belongs to a non-profit that purchased a franchise that
provides education, and jobs with a livable wage, to women leaving the
Tulsa prison system.
Betty P. Kelepecz
Assistant Commander of Operations, Los Angeles Police Department
(California) and Past President, National Association of Women Law
Enforcement Executives. After publication of “Top Cops,” Betty moved on
to be named Chief of the San Diego Harbor Police, and she earned the
2004 "Woman Law Enforcement Executive of the Year" Award sponsored by
The National Association of Women Law Enforcement Executives (NAWLEE)
and Motorola. She retired from law enforcement after 25 years of public
service.
In October 2007, Betty, a former microbiologist and an attorney,
joined Crime Scene Technologies, LLC (CST), an independent forensic DNA
laboratory serving the justice system, as Lab Director. She was elected
to the Board of Directors of the Integrated Justice Information Systems
(IJIS) Institute where she sits on the Executive, Finance and
Intergovernmental Relations Committees, and also sits on the Homeland
Security and CJIS Committees of the International Association of Chiefs
of Police (IACP).
Teresa M. Kettelkamp
Colonel and Deputy Director, Division of Forensic Services,
Illinois State Police (Springfield, Illinois). Teresa was the first
female to attain the rank of Colonel in the Illinois State Police
(ISP). Teresa retired in 2003 after 29 years on the force to work for
the Gavin Group in conducting the first annual compliance audits of the
Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People. She currently
is executive director of the United States Conference of Catholic
Bishops’ (USCCB) Office of Child and Youth Protection.
Laura Lightner
Lieutenant and Chief of Police Services for Carefree and Cave
Creek, Maricopa County Sheriffs Office (Phoenix, Arizona). Laura more
recently served as the division Commander for the Advanced Officer
Training Unit within the Sheriff’s Office.
Judy Manning
Lieutenant, Glendale Police Department (Glendale, Arizona) and Regional
Representative, National Center for Women & Policing.
Jadel Roe
Chief Deputy and Chief Operation Officer, Maricopa County Sheriffs Office (Phoenix, Arizona).
Noreen Walker
District Commander, Chicago Police Department (Chicago, Illinois).
Following publication of “Top Cops,” Noreen was the subject of a
three-page feature in The Chicago Sun-Times. Noreen was later named
Deputy Chief of the Chicago Police Department. She was also named the
year 2000 Woman of Distinction by Soroptimist International of Chicago
and was nominated to Today’s Chicago Woman’s list of 100 Women Making a
Difference.
Putting something back
All of the women I interviewed for “Top Cops” maintained strong
partnerships with their communities through volunteer activities. From
serving on boards, to helping the disadvantaged directly, these women
continue to make a difference and serve as role models for young women
in their communities.
The image they created continues to have an impact on recruitment,
retention, and establishing women officers as role models. They truly
were and still are AMAZING!
Copyright ©2008 Marion E. Gold. All rights reserved. Reprinted with
permission for use only for online view on www.amazingwomenrock.com. No
other use permitted without the written and express permission of
Marion E. Gold.
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