It is often said that a woman must do a job twice as well as a man in order to get half the credit. This is particularly true of women in law enforcement. Women have been involved in various forms of policing for the last 100 years, but it wasn't until the Equal Employment Act of 1970 that women could move from the job of meter maids to patrol and detective work. Yet less than 1% of all top-level cops are women, and there remain significant obstacles in the career paths of women in the force. This book looks at the history of women police officers and provides first-hand accounts of women at every level, including those who drop out. It addresses discrimination, competition, lack of mentoring, differential treatment and sexual harrassment, examining what issues play into the decision to stick it out or leave that many policewomen face. It also considers the family issues these women return home to at the end of the day. It is often said that a woman must do a job twice as well as a man in order to get half the credit. This is particularly true of women in law enforcement. Women have been involved in various forms of policing for the last 100 years, but it wasn't until the Equal Employment Act of 1970 that women could move from the job of meter maids to patrol and detective work. Yet less than 1% of all top-level cops are women, and there remain significant obstacles in the career paths of women in the force. This book looks at the history of women police officers and provides first-hand accounts of women at every level, including those who drop out. It addresses discrimination, competition, lack of mentoring, differential treatment, and sexual harrassment. It looks at what plays into the decision to stick it out or leave that many policewomen face. It also considers the family issues these women return home to at the end of the day. Unlike other treatments of the subject, Alt and Wells show how women have changed police work into a more community-oriented model of policing, reduced police violence, served as a strong force to promote a more effective response to domestic violence within police departments, and helped with community-police relations. With a combination of first-hand accounts, careful research, and lively analysis, the authors are able to convey the actual experiences of women who have made their careers behind the shield.

A page-turning novel about the inner workings of the NYPD, based on the true story of a young officer's decades-long fight for respect in the male-dominated world. The Bronx, 1958. The Policewomen's Bureau isn’t respected within the Department, even when it handles cases the men can’t solve. Marie Carrara is a young police matron who wants to move beyond the grim routine of guarding female prisoners to become one of the few female detectives in the NYPD. Though she is a shy and naive, from a sheltered, immigrant background, Marie dives into the strange and terrifying world of big-city undercover work without hesitation, using her genuine innocence to deceive degenerates and drug dealers into thinking that she’s an easy target. As she begins to create tougher undercover characters, she discovers that they might be able to inspire her in her off-duty life as well. Despite the violence of her job, the sexism she faces daily, and a rocky-at-best marriage waiting for her at home, Marie is determined to make a name for herself within the NYPD and be the role model her young daughter deserves. With the support of Marie Cirile, the real-life inspiration for Marie Carrara, Edward Conlon adapts the true events of her memoir into a thrilling drama, a book only a best-selling author and decorated Bronx detective could have written.

Narcoterrorism wreaks havoc on the world as drug cartels operate as dominating, murderous dictatorships. The powerful Irish Drug Cartel has set up drug manufacturing plants around the world and they will kill anyone who gets in their way. Sarah is an ambitious policewoman from an antiterrorist unit. She's also smart, beautiful, and extremely good at her job, which is why she is assigned to an Interpol Incident Response Team in Manchester, set up to find and stop The Cartel. Alongside colleagues from the United Kingdom's SAS, she must quickly learn new Close Quarters Battle tactics and apply them to a vengeful and threatening battlefield. Sarah's investigation appears to be going well until the fight turns personal. She must now struggle to save her friends, family, and even herself. Spanning the globe with a keen knowledge of special forces tactics and some genuinely shocking twists, this book warns of a bloody, drug-addled future we may soon face.

Women in policing have seen three phases of acceptance. Beginning in about 1880, they were admitted as police matrons with extremely limited duties. Next they were accepted as policewomen around 1910-1916, when that title was officially bestowed on them. Finally came assignment of females as general duty officers in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Not coincidentally, an active women's movement was the driving force behind all three phases. As women in policing went from matrons to regular officers, they faced harassment and discrimination that only worsened as they neared equality. Many still face it today. This book examines the history of policewomen from 1880 to 2012--particularly in the U.S.--and tells the story of their gradual recognition by the professional establishment of male officers.

Breaking and Entering: Policewomen on Patrol explores the problems women face beginning a career in the traditionally male-oriented profession of police work, and the ways they have learned to deal with these problems.

The author covers the entire history of policewomen in America since their initial promotion from desk jobs to patrol positions, and through the ranks from there. In only 40 years, women in police departments across the country have advanced with amazing speed to positions traditionally reserved for men. Many have gone on to become police chiefs, SWAT team commanders, homicide detectives, training instructors, and patrol officers. Having witnessed first-hand the transition from women as metermaids to full-fledged officers, the author offers first-hand accounts from women and others engaged in this important and transformative change in the world of American policing.

The gritty, streetwise, true personal story of a top female L.A. cop--a real-life version of Cagney and Lacey. Glossing over nothing, Hays talks frankly about her undercover work as a prostitute, about entrapping rapists, cornering killers, shooting and being shot at, but above all, about her passion to see justice done.