50th Anniversary Event For Women On Patrol In St. Louis County

ST. LOUIS - On Tuesday, November 15th, 2022, we will honor the service and dedication made by past and current female police officers to the citizens of St. Louis County. The 50th Anniversary of Policewomen on Patrol recognition ceremony will be held at 6:30 PM in the County Council Chambers of the St. Louis County Government Building during the County Council meeting.

In 1972, the St. Louis County Police Department was the first agency in the United States to assign policewomen to single officer patrol units. At the time, several agencies throughout the United States had patrolwomen assigned to two officer patrols. Prior to 1972, female officers were assigned mainly as investigators,butneveronpatrolwiththeSt.LouisCountyPoliceDepartment. In1972,sixfemaleofficers graduated from the 16-week training program at the Greater St. Louis Police Academy. After graduation, all six officers successfully completed field training. A patrol beat, located near Clayton Road and Route 141, was selected in order to carefully evaluate the effectiveness and impact of female officers on providing police services.

The idea to evaluate the use of females for single officer patrol duties originated with Robert J. di Grazia, the Superintendent (Chief) of the County Police at the time. In early 1972, Superintendent di Grazia announced females would be selected to staff single/one officer patrol beats 24-hours a day. Recruitment notices announced plans to employ qualified female candidates by May 15, 1972. The goal was to “employ female police officers in all aspects ... including patrol. Further, expansion of the traditional policewoman role to include the total police function will open legitimate avenues of promotion for women which have previously been closed.” The general public and members of the department were informed of the goals and details of the policewoman experiment to expand the role of women in local police work. Superintendent di Grazia also believed many highly qualified, dedicated, and responsible women had been turned away from the police profession due to the stereotyped image of a female’s role in police work.

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