Loved the British version and am digging the American redux. But I was curious about something.
In the show, Gretchen Mol plays Annie, a member of the "policewomen's bureau." She tells Sam Tyler, the main character, that PWB handls "lost kittycats, hysterical girlfriends," and sort of acts as a paramedic sometimes.
Was this real? Did policewomen really not carry weapons and only deal with "feminine" issues, even in 1973 New York?
I dug around and found this interesting answer at the History of Police Women in New York section of the NYC Police Museum website. (http://www.nycpolicemuseum.org/html/tour/wip_web.htm)
The Women’s Bureau was established in 1924 and renamed the Bureau of Policewomen six years later. Policewomen assigned to the Bureau performed matron duties, participated in undercover work, investigated charges of sexual assault, searched female corpses, took abandoned babies to shelters, and protected women and children by patrolling in plainclothes at beaches, movie houses, and schools. Each Policewoman carried her own .32 revolver which was smaller than the men’s .38.
The Bureau of Policewomen also responded to requests for Policewomen made by other units of the NYPD. In 1964, for instance, the Bureau received 311 requests. That same year, members of the Bureau of Policewomen made 1,050 arrests. As Lieutenant Lucy Acerra, who worked in the Bureau, wrote: “The New York Policewomen’s Bureau had taken on all the characteristics of a small police department within a larger one.”
In 1967, 180 women from the Bureau of Policewomen were assigned to precincts. The duties of the Policewomen at the precincts continued to consist primarily of searching women prisoners, guarding children, and performing clerical work. This decentralization of the majority of the Policewomen was a precursor to the dissolution of the Bureau which occurred on August 15, 1973.
[In 1973], The Bureau of Policewomen was disbanded and the titles of “Policewoman” and “Policeman” were officially consolidated to “Police Officer.” More than 350 female Police Officers were hired and trained, more than half of whom were assigned to patrol duties. Height regulations were dropped, “unisex” physical tests for those competing to become Police Officers were implemented, and a new standardized “unisex” uniform was mandated.
The Bureau of Policewomen also responded to requests for Policewomen made by other units of the NYPD. In 1964, for instance, the Bureau received 311 requests. That same year, members of the Bureau of Policewomen made 1,050 arrests. As Lieutenant Lucy Acerra, who worked in the Bureau, wrote: “The New York Policewomen’s Bureau had taken on all the characteristics of a small police department within a larger one.”
In 1967, 180 women from the Bureau of Policewomen were assigned to precincts. The duties of the Policewomen at the precincts continued to consist primarily of searching women prisoners, guarding children, and performing clerical work. This decentralization of the majority of the Policewomen was a precursor to the dissolution of the Bureau which occurred on August 15, 1973.
[In 1973], The Bureau of Policewomen was disbanded and the titles of “Policewoman” and “Policeman” were officially consolidated to “Police Officer.” More than 350 female Police Officers were hired and trained, more than half of whom were assigned to patrol duties. Height regulations were dropped, “unisex” physical tests for those competing to become Police Officers were implemented, and a new standardized “unisex” uniform was mandated.
No comments:
Post a Comment