Women in Policing?

There are many people in the criminal justice profession who feel that women may not be able to perform the duties to the same level as their male counterparts simply due to biological realities. All too often I can hear about a woman's inability to carry a person from danger, catch a male adversary in a foot pursuit, or drive a vehicle at a high rate of speed to intercept a carjacker. While there are truths to the physical differences between men and women one thing is for certain is that we are simply a spoke on the wheel of law enforcement, each with unique skills and deficiencies. Lived experiences are an absolute truth that provides evidence, calculable data, which can be referenced to strengthen and persuade reasonable, objective people.

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Storytime:

Many moons ago I was a young Police Officer on patrol in Philadelphia’s Olney section of the city. The radio call came in for a robbery in progress at a sneaker store. The offender had brandished a knife, made threats, and taken some cash, fleeing southbound on foot. I was riding solo that day and headed for the area. Upon arriving I was met by two female Officers. They went into the store to speak with the victims while I remained outside looking for the evil doer. The female officer relayed over radio that the male was last seen entering the public library next door.

???? Walking into the library it appeared pretty empty. It was in the afternoon before school had let out, so I wasn’t expecting the place to be packed, but empty? Well, just as I thought that I saw a young man in a navy-blue mechanic jumpsuit sitting at a table all by his lonesome. Funny, he had on the same clothes as our perpetrator described by the female officer over radio. Turing my head to the left I saw about ten women standing in a corner, clearly disturbed by the man’s presence, or mine. As I approached him the two female Officers entered, walking directly behind. He didn’t look up in a failed attempt to ignore our presence, so I ignored him back by nonchalantly walking past him. Then my ears began to ring uncontrollably.

???? The firearms range was always a place where there were no shenanigans allowed. Point down range at all times. Finger outside the trigger guard. Ready on the left. Ready on the right. The line is clear. These are all phrases that were undeniably established in my brain while in the Philadelphia Police Academy. Now I was no expert in guns by any stretch of the imagination. Being the second best shot in my graduating class only meant that I was the first place loser, right? Well, making sure you had your eyes and ears on was also a mandatory step in range etiquette. I forgot to bring mine that day to the library.

???? Gathering my thoughts I quickly turned and saw the man standing to my right, clenched jaw with a trace of blood emanating from his mouth. With fists balled and elbows bent he stood for what seemed an eternity. I just stared. He stared back. Falling like a tree in the forest he slammed to the floor. Yes, my colleague had just murdered an unarmed man for no reason. Can you believe that was my first thought? Mee in a deeply concerned fashion stating, “What the **** did you do that for?” Her reply was calm as the proverbial cucumber simply saying, “He’s got a knife, Danny.” I stepped on his right wrist, prying his fingers off the knife that I never saw. Apparently and unbeknownst to me the man selected to stand up, scream that he was going to kill us, and lower his hand into my head, knife and all. My sunken heart went from thoughts of being in a cold, dark prison to being cold and dark in the morgue.

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???? Here comes the calvary to wander around the crime scene in the aftermath. Media ghouls, community spectators, and Police brass were everywhere. Now all that is for another day, for that would detract from my lived experience about when I found out that women were not fit to be Police Officers. No way! No how! They simply cannot do the job. Too emotional, too weak, and not very good with guns…unless they dispatch an armed attacker in the mouth with one shot to save the life of an eternally grateful, albeit male Cop.

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