Armed and Dangerous, a memoir by Gina Gallo, presents the reader with an in-depth look into the life of a Chicago police woman. Gallo, whose father was also an officer, spent 16 years of her life patrolling some of the worst, rundown streets of Chicago's south and west side. Her stories while on the beat are shocking, somewhat comical, and extremely frustrating as she gives the reader her life story as an officer from her first days at the academy to her heartbreaking end as a policewoman. Gallo discusses her experiences in the police academy and the struggles of being a woman surrounded by the constant presence and reminder that being a police officer is a "man's job". She takes readers on a roller coaster ride of emotion while she portrays …show more content…
With her father always gone working during holidays, school functions and family celebrations she witnessed the strain it put on her family. She vowed never to become an officer, but life's circumstances forced her to change her mind. Gallo joined the academy in 1982 because she needed a secure job to support her two children. She was previously a psychologist but with her facility downsizing she would’ve been forced to take a substantial pay cut and lose out on her medical benefits if she were to stay. She learned that the Chicago Police department was hiring, and already a trained psychologist, she thought she’d be working as a therapist in the department’s counseling center. She was …show more content…
This book is shocking and honest. I love that she admits that cops have short comings, she even says some are down right dogs, but most are just trying to serve and protect. She addresses a number of situations that range from entertaining (the priest getting caught with the prostitute) to horrifying (finding a discarded infant corpse in a trash can.) This is a great book for women interested in becoming police. It shows not only the difficulties police face, but also the ones specific to women on the force. It has moments of great humor and great
Female police officers have been saddled with a stigma ever since they were allowed to join the force with male officers. Female police officers performance and ability to do their job and perform well is often questioned because they are women. Female officers are not given the same respect as male officers because of their gender; however, they bring different skills and assets to the profession that male officers do not. Female officers are less likely to use force or become aggressive because they have better communication skills and empathize. However, female officers will resort to using aggressive behaviors or force when necessary. Superior officers and male patrol officers feel that women are only on the force because it is a matter of social integration and an HR requirement. They feel that this is a man’s profession, and women have no business trying to be a part of it.
Female police officers have appeared on television shows since the 1970s with shows like “Policewomen” and “Get Christie Love”. “Policewomen” paved the way for shows like “Honey West”, “NYPD Blue”, “CSI” and many more. As time went by more and more TV shows include female police officers as part of the main cast, shows like “Law and Order: Special Units Victims”, “Charles’s Angels”, “Hawaii 5-0”, etc. Policewomen on TV shows are not portrayed realistically but it is starting to change. In the earlier days, shows like “Charlie’s Angels” had detectives wear tight dress, glamorous body’s, makeup on, etc.
There are many stereotypes that women in the law enforcement field have to face. In order to recruit more women into policing, law enforcement agencies should attempt to overcome the idea that policing is a "male-oriented profession". This paper will cover parts of the history of women police officers, some views and stereotypes of the female officer, job related issues, life outside of the workforce and job satisfaction.
In recent years, recruitment and retention of police officers has been a pain point for many departments across the nation. Odd and inflexible hours, uncompetitive pay, para-militaristic organizational structures, and a negative public perception have all worked to diminish the pool of applicants interested in careers in law enforcement. Add to the mix the sexist “brotherhood” police culture, emphasis on masculinity and aggression, and the nearly non-existent opportunities for advancement for women, and over half of the eligible workforce has been discouraged from even considering a career in law enforcement. In 2013, women comprised just over 57% of the labor force, but accounted for only 13% of sworn police officers (USDOL, 2013; Crooke, 2013). Not only are women sorely underrepresented in the field of law enforcement, but those who are employed experience discrimination at the hands of their supervisors and coworkers, and as a result, the attrition rate for women is often much higher than that of their male counterparts. Departments should pledge dedication to recruiting and retaining more female officers, as research indicates that not only do females perform just as well as males in patrol positions, but they also have a unique set of advantages to offer agencies when employed in law enforcement. In order to improve the recruitment and retention of females into policing roles, departments must determine the biggest deterrents for women who are considering the pursuit
The thing that stands out to me in The Laughing Policeman is that the women seem to be portrayed as nymphomaniacs. A nymphomaniac is a woman who has an abnormal excessive and uncontrollable sexual desire. A good example of a nymphomaniac in The Laughing Policeman would be Teresa Camarão. Although this book is about a mass murder on a bus, they have to solve the Teresa Camarão case.
Among police, there are stark differences between male and female officers. Cara E. Rabe-Hemp researched these sex differences by conducting a series of interviews with policewomen. These interviews reveal how policewomen cope with the seemingly impossible task to find a balance between feminine values that they were raised to uphold and masculine values that their male-dominated field demands. According to the individual perspective, employees’ performance is more shaped by their unique personal experiences as opposed to standardized formal training (Britt 185). Since neither police officers’ formal training nor their subculture reduce or eliminate the differences between policemen and policewomen, sex differences have a much more significant
“Somebody didn’t sleep through ethics training” (Ayer and Fuqua, 2001). This statement made by an officer in the movie Training Day, best exemplifies a major theme of the movie. Training Day should be shown to rookie officers as an example of how a police subculture can allow officers to abuse power. The movie is an over exaggeration, but provides depth and detail into certain situations officers may find themselves in. This paper will look at the specific concepts of a police subculture that officers may encounter.
Not more than two years ago, I listened to three minority female officers conversing on the difficulties of being a female officer. Though women have been accepted into police force, it has been a very slow and difficult process. What follows is a brief chronology of their struggle to become assimilated into and become an important part NYC’s “finest” – the N.Y.P.D.
Peter Moskos‘, Cop in The Hood, is the story of a sociologist going native by going through the Baltimore police academy, becoming a cop and working for over a year. The book follows Moskos chronological journey, from the academy to the street and the last part of the book is dedicated to a pretty thorough analysis of the War on Drugs.
Officer Paxton was hesitant to take the exam at first because as she says, “I never grew up thinking I wanted to be the police.” However, she learned in the Academy that she would be able to do the job just like anyone else.
Chapter 1 of Character and Cops, Delattre writes, that the police are essential to society, the police are required to be the ones who keep law and order. Delattre explains that throughout the book he uses his twenty five years of experiences working with people in criminal justice, to explain and answer moral questions that arise working in the criminal justice field. He then outlines what he will elaborate on in each chapter later on, such ethics pertaining to individuals leading all the way to problems from society. Delattre, at the end of the chapter, reinforces his experience, by writing that he has worked with and seen many honorable and ethically good cops, but at the same time, he has seen his fair share of corrupt and ethically bad cops.
James Ellroy’s L.A. Confidential is a story of various plots that do well in presenting the Los Angeles Police Department as a unique, sporadic, and complex organization. In this novel, the LAPD are many things; however, three crucial characteristics that are a part of their core are violence, a police first mentality, and racism. A conversation about the LAPD cannot be a conversion in which those three characteristics are left out because of how influential they are in nearly every action made by the individual of the LAPD. These characteristics are best illustrated by a few of the book main characters, Ed Exley, Dudley Smith, Bud White, Dick Stensland, and Jack Vincennes. All are men of the LAPD.
Throughout history laws and regulations have formed for society to abide by to avoid a world full of absolute chaos. Ultimately leading to the creation of police officers who would enforce these laws and regulations. However, this is one of the world’s most dangerous and stressful professions. Mainly because police officers are expected to put their lives on the line every single day to protect and serve society. Even though this is the case, becoming a police officer has always been a goal of mine. Edward Conlon book called, “Blue Blood” provides amazing insight on what it’s like to be a police officer. This is because Edward Conlon was previously a police officer and based this book around his personal experiences while he was on the job. Since this book is based around first-hand experience and written as they were happening it made me enjoy the book even more. Mainly because these events weren 't over exaggerated. However, since the book is based around stories within stories, I sometimes found it difficult to follow. This book presented many examples of issues that the police face daily and showed that sometimes these issues aren’t easy to handle. Three specific issues that Edward Conlon faced as a police officer that relates to my issues in policing class is dealing with the mentally ill, using discretion, and police training.
When it comes to race within law enforcement, male police officers still question whether women can handle the dangerous situations and physical confrontations that officers may be confronted with, while it is shown that most police women have easily met the expectations of their superiors. Indeed, studies have found that, in general, male and female officers perform in similar ways. In addition, research has found that most citizens have positive things to say about the work of police women (Worden,
During the ride, it is evident to see Kelly is more than just an officer cruising the street looking for the menaces of society, but a woman who cares about her neighborhood and loves to serve. Her character speaks volumes as her belief is to treat everyone with respect. Being a female, African-American, in a male-dominated