Women Police: Portraits of Success

Rating:
Summary: Women in Blue
Review: I'm a senior volunteer at the Sequim (WA) Police Department and work with two of the women featured in Women Police: Portraits of Success. Sergeant Sheri Crain and Reservist Tania Kohlman told me they see the book as an essential text for criminal justice programs and wish it had been available when they were in school. It answers all of the important questions a woman might ask: What does it take to become a cop, and succeed? What special skills do we women bring to the job? Is it more dangerous work for women than for men? How can we women compensate for our smaller size? What is it like to be a patrol cop? A detective? A sergeant? Would I prefer work in the field or in the office? If I rise up through the ranks, what will I find at the top? How do cops balance work and family? Do I have to be young to enter the field?

Women Police: Portraits of Success takes the reader on a ride-along through the world of policing, one story at a time. Toward the conclusion of the book, author Lunneborg blends their words into themes, the expected and unexpected. Women police join the force for the same reasons as men-for pay, benefits, variety, and to contribute something to society. Mentors are very important to success. Women must be physically fit to survive the academy, but prefer to use words over force to diffuse situations. Challenges by men begin in the academy, but acceptance usually follows as women prove their worth. They practice a consensual management style, delegate responsibilities down, display a nurturing attitude toward coworkers, place high value on community policing, and have found what it takes to balance work and family.

Will the book work as intended? Will the numbers go up? Will more women join law enforcement because of Portraits? If we can get it into their hands, the answer is yes. It belongs as a major text in every criminal justice course and as a recruitment tool of every career counselor and police department head. Not just because it could and should lead to parity, but because women's "leadership, perspectives, and involvement make us better at what we do," in the words of Sir John Stevens, head of New Scotland Yard. "This book [Portraits] celebrates their successes."

Bobbie Ryan
Sequim, WA



Rating:
Summary: A Surprising Look Into The World of Women Police
Review: Patricia Lunneborg, a retired professor of psychology and women's studies, has written a third book on women police, and it's an eye-opener, even for a man. Maybe especially for a man.

Based upon interviews Lunneborg conducted with women police throughout the country, the book presents a running discussion and commentary upon many aspects of the profession: what attracts both younger and older women to the work, the difficulties they encounter in training and on the job, the problems the work causes in their personal relationships.

Sociologic books can be difficult for the nonspecialist, but that's not the case here. As they tell their stories, the individuals leap off the pages; the reader cheers for their triumphs and bleeds for their disasters. Most impressive is the manner in which one interviewee after another points out ways in which women at all levels of command broaden the capabilities of police forces, being able to deal more effectively than men with certain situations, most impressively those involving negotiations with troubled persons.

The writing is excellent, clear, and never bogs down in numerical detail or sociospeak. This book is a must for anyone interested in police work, but writers of both fiction and nonfiction involving police should go no further before digesting this material thoroughly. One can only hope that many police - men and women - will read and learn from it.

Rating:
Summary: An uplifting set of interviews
Review: The numbers of women in law enforcement are declining, but remain vital to the force, and Patricia Lunneborg encourages participation through a set of interviews of women who work as police. Over 50 women officers across the country present their views of what drew them into the force, what keeps them on the job, and what are their daily satisfactions and special challenges on the job. From community policing to issues of having a family and fitting in work and family, WOMEN POLICE: PORTRAITS OF SUCCESS is an uplifting set of interviews remarking on just what makes policing a positive for female officers.