If you watch enough episodes of “Law &Order,” it’s easy to get the impression that it’s common for women to hold top jobs in law enforcement.
The reality, however, is much different than the ideal presented on television.
Which is why the Everett Police Department’s announcement that it has named its first female captain is big news. Kathy Atwood is a 16-year veteran who worked her way up the ranks. As the north patrol captain, she will oversee two lieutenants, five sergeants and 43 officers. Congratulations, Capt. Atwood.
Atwood called her promotion “a good example for women in police work.” How right she is.
No woman in the department had ever reached the rank of captain because few ever tried to get there, according to Atwood. Perhaps now more women will try, seeing Atwood’s success. It helps to have an example to follow.
And Atwood has set quite an example. She was an exemplary officer on the streets and over the years was promoted to detective, sergeant and lieutenant. On a test given for the captain’s job, Atwood didn’t just do well, she outscored everyone else. Often, to be a trail blazer, you can’t just be good, you have to be the best.
To appreciate Atwood’s achievement, consider some numbers:
* In large police agencies, women hold only 7.3 percent of top command positions and 9.6 percent of supervisory positions, according to a 2002 survey by the National Center for Women and Policing, a division of the Feminist Majority Foundation.
* More than half, 55.9 percent, of large agencies reported no women in top command, and 87.9 percent reported no women of color in their highest ranks.
Even in success, women in law enforcement face obstacles, from discrimination to public perception.
In May, it was reported that women had recently been appointed police chiefs in four major cities. Radio host Rush Limbaugh’s reaction: “If we’ve got four new female police chiefs out there, then I guess we can watch out for some naked pyramids among prisoners in these new jailhouse that these women ran, because we had a woman running the prison in Abu Grab (sic).”
Limbaugh chastised the Feminist Majority Foundation for pointing out that women still only make up 13 to 15 percent of sworn officers. The headline on Limbaugh’s Web site: “Feminazis Whine Over Cop Babe Success.”
Somewhere between Limbaugh and “Law &Order” lies the reality of women in law enforcement. The Everett Police Department and Capt. Atwood provide an excellent example of moving toward equality by promoting a highly qualified cop who all officers, male and female, can look up to.
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