The career of the District of Columbia Metropolitan Police Department's highest ranking official mirrors the history of women in law enforcement during the past 25 years.
"When I entered the police academy in 1973, it was still perhaps the biggest boys' club in America," said interim D.C. Police Chief Sonya T. Proctor during a March 3 keynote address to celebrate Women's History Month at the Library. "The passage of the Equal Employment Opportunities Act in 1972 had gotten rid of blatant forms of discrimination, but these were soon replaced by more subtle means."
"The theme of this year's Women's History Month celebration is 'Living the Legacy of Women's Rights,'" said Library Police Capt. Rosiland Parker, who introduced Ms. Proctor. She said this legacy includes women elected and appointed at all levels of government. "With her appointment as acting chief of the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department on Nov. 26, Ms. Proctor has reached the zenith of her profession on merit," said Capt. Parker.
Along the way, there were a number of roadblocks faced by Ms. Proctor and other women pursuing a career in the male-dominated field of law enforcement. Obstacles included unrealistic strength and agility requirements, and a height requirement that nearly kept Ms. Proctor from reaching her goal.
"I saw a big red 'reject' stamp on my application because at 5 feet, 6-3/4 inches, I fell short of the 5-feet-7-inch height requirement," said Ms. Proctor. The requirement soon after was declared unconstitutional. "Imagine my disappointment when I noticed many male officers were shorter than I," she joked.
"The D.C. Metropolitan Police force was one of the first police departments to include women," said Ms. Proctor.
"In 1970, only 2 percent of the nation's departments were female. That figure jumped to 11 percent in 1994. Today, the D.C. Metropolitan Police force is 23 percent female, or twice the national average," Ms. Proctor said.
This does not mean that Ms. Proctor's road to success was easy. "Women were not mentored," she said. "We had to sink or swim alone."
Women officers also suffered from "negative attitudes, which assumed we would fail, and the perpetration of myths about our capabilities." Female officers were encouraged by the communities in which they served. "They welcomed the integration of women as a reflection of the diversity in their own communities," noted Ms. Proctor.
"I am eternally grateful for women who have paved the way," said Ms. Proctor, who provided a brief historical background of women in law enforcement in the District. This history dates back to the 1850s, when women were appointed as "matrons" and provided badly needed social services. A Women's Bureau, established in 1918 to deal with juvenile delinquents and female offenders, employed women until it shut its doors in 1968.
Among the women in law enforcement whom Ms. Proctor cited were former D.C. Deputy Police Chief Joyce Leland, Attorney General Janet Reno and Gail Cobb, who in 1974 was the first female police officer killed in the line of duty. Ms. Proctor read an excerpt from a Washington Star article that eloquently described Cobb's well-attended funeral. She compared this news coverage with local media coverage of Adelaide Childe's appointment to the Women's Bureau in 1919 "to work among the colored population of the city." The headline read "Negress, New D.C. Copette."
"We've come a long way," noted Ms. Proctor, "but there is still a small percentage of women in management where policy decisions are made regarding diversity and equal employment. I consider it to be my personal responsibility to create an environment in which people are judged on merit, not by stereotypes placed upon them."
