"Women Where?"
March 2001
By Deborah Prussel

In 1910, Alice Stebbins Wells, a social worker, convinced the Los Angeles Police Department to hire her as their first full fledged policewoman. For decades, few women listed police officer as their occupation. They trained separately from the men and performed limited roles. Secretarial duties topped the list in their job descriptions. In the 1960s and early 1970s, the lucky ones investigated sex crimes or offenses where the suspect was under ten.

The Detroit Police, for example, required women to have a minimum of two years of higher education since their work involved investigations and interviews, interrogations and detailed reports for criminal prosecution purposes. Men only had to have a high school diploma or GED certificate. No one considered physical or weapons training for women.

In 1972 everything changed. Passage of the Equal Employment Opportunity Act by Congress empowered the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to take legal action in federal court to enforce Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Women and men now trained together at police academies. Albuquerque was the first place to have women in the academy, according to Gaithersburg, MD, Chief of Police Mary Ann Viverette. Today, women comprise 14.3% of all sworn law enforcement positions nationwide.

Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) teams, which many female officers categorize as the last male bastion, started in Los Angeles in the late 1960s after police shootouts with the Black Panthers. For a long time, their major role was dealing with hostage takers or barricaded gunmen. The SWAT focus has changed. The war on drugs, and recently school violence, has spawned numerous SWAT teams across the country. A study by Dr. Peter B. Kraska found that the percentage of police and sheriffs departments with some kind of special response team rose from 59% in 1982 to 89% in 1995.

Women in policing are unique enough, let alone women on SWAT teams. In the early 1980s, women surfaced on scattered teams from Littleton to Lansing, predominately as negotiators, according to Larry Glick, executive director of the National Tactical Officers Association (NTOA). The NTOA is a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing the SWAT profession worldwide with membership restricted to bona fide tactical officers. Of its 40,000 members, only 17 are women.

The Glendale, CA, Police had a woman in the tactical division in 1981, but it was Marty Smith, a deputy with the San Bernadino County Sheriff's Department, who made the Los Angeles Times in 1984. Smith may have been the first woman to complete one of the FBI's training schools in counterterrorist SWAT tactics. Smith, 40 at the time and a grandmother, was the sharpshooter.

Lieutenant Julie Erickson, Illinois State Police drug asset forfeiture section, joined the Tactical Response Team (TRT) in 1988 at the age of 28. She was the first woman on TRT for the Illinois State Police. Sergeant Diane Van Derkoy is also on the team. Starting on road patrol in 1985, Erickson thought TRT sounded interesting and exciting. "It was the best training I ever had," she said, "and everyone was very supportive."

A week's training at a military facility focused on repelling and team work exercises including a six mile walk with a telephone pole, generator, TV and shovel that was required to be periodically setup along the way. Erickson notes one of the real challenges was showering. With facility, coordination was imperative.

A police officer at the age of 27, Janice Easterling of the Dallas Police Department, now a lieutenant, joined the SWAT team in 1988. "There weren't many women," she stated. "I was motivated by the challenge." Attending college on a volleyball scholarship, Easterling liked the idea of working out and was not intimidated by the physical challenges.

"Most of the men had a positive attitude, but there were a few on the tactical side who didn't want me there," Easterling said. Initially, some subtle hints suggested she was not entirely welcome. During MP5 training the men just stood and watched. Curiosity was a factor, but Easterling, whose sister is on a Georgia SWAT team, just showed them she could do the job. Eventually promoted, she left after two years, returning in 1994 as a sergeant when there was an opening. "They never had a female sergeant before or since," she said.

Lieutenant Denice Faxton of the Tippecanoe Sheriffs Department in north central Indiana made the SWAT team in 1991. The only woman, she was treated equally and never contended with a negative attitude from her male coworkers. Faxton also went through a pregnancy while on the team. Advancing through the patrol ranks, she was, until two weeks ago, the only female in the entire department, which covers 500 square miles.

"I had excellent family support. My parents and husband, an expolice officer, helped out, especially when the calls came at one or two in the morning," says Faxton. One of the biggest challenges for her was finding a place in the middle of nowhere to change clothes. The team is parttime and gear must always be in the car.

Sergeant Cynthia Howard of the Annapolis, MD, Police Department, spent two years weight lifting, running and improving her shooting as a patrol officer before trying out for the SWAT team in 1991. "It started out almost as a joke. I found out there had never been a woman on the team and decided I could do it," says the 5'4", 125pound African American. Howard has nothing but praise for the men, particularly then Sergeant Cross, who mentored her, helping improve her skills. She is now one of two sergeants on the 15 officer team. The other is male.

Historically women fail police or SWAT qualifications in the physical agility testing, particularly upper body strength. Special Agent Samantha Mikeska with the FBI's El Paso Bureau first tried out for their SWAT team in 1997. A body builder now, she spends a lot of her spare time at the gym. A college athlete, she had been lifting and running but could not do the pullups wearing 35 pounds of required gear. "I just hung there with 18 guys watching. I swore this would never happen again," she said.

Mikeska worked in accounting, her major, for six years after graduation, but always wanted to be a police officer. Completing the academy, she went to the Bryant, TX, Police Department. In the interim, she had applied for the special agent position with the FBI. With 2,000 applicants for every job, she was not overly optimistic. When the call came in 1996, she left for four months of training at Quantico.

FBI SWAT team tryouts last roughly 23 hours and are divided into two phases. The first includes runs of varying lengths, pullups and pistol shooting. The second and most arduous phase has candidates clearing rooms, maneuvering combat courses, running six miles and then shooting. "The next day about all I could do was wiggle my toes," Mikeska said. She ranked third of the eight who wanted SWAT team membership. Mikeska's accomplishments include gas school certification and weapons and mass destruction coordinator training. ``There are only about four women out of maybe 1,500 on our teams in 56 field offices nationwide," she stated.

Making the SWAT team is an accomplishment, even more so for women when they are not in their twenties. Anita Dickason, past president of Texas Women in Policing, graduated from the Dallas Police Academy at 44, taking a 50% pay cut from her previous job. At 51 she qualified for the SWAT team; Easterling was a sergeant at the time. "SWAT was the ultimate goal and objective of what I wanted as an officer," said Dickason. She hurdled existing internal barriers. Fortunately, a female deputy chief of special operations knew Dickason wanted SWAT. "I spent three months, three days a week working with a personal trainer and passed with over 90%," she proudly states.

Dickason's accomplishments go further. A size four, she set a record on the physical fitness test at 98.6% and was one of the unit's countersnipers. "It's one thing to be on SWAT, let alone with rifles. I had shot a rifle once in my life." Dickason's partner, a rifle instructor, started working with her; she had been on the Dallas pistol team. Learning to use an AR 15 rifle, she was crosstrained for entry and perimeter work. Her prowess led her to competitions that she wins on a regular basis, including three state championships.

Dallas has had several female TAC team members. "I was wanted and the men on the team formed a protective barrier around me. I also had good mentors," she said.

SWAT openings are not plentiful, and women are not always welcome. Many times they are ostracized. "The more elite and prestigious the unit, the tougher it is for women," said Donna Milgram, executive director of Women in Policing Institute. "SWAT is the elite part of law enforcement."

According to Marylou Carrillo of the El Paso, TX, Gang Intelligence Unit, "This is the last area they're allowing us in." Carrillo knows. It took her seven years to become a member of the parttime SWAT team. Placing third with six openings, she was initially told they would not fill the positions after taking the top two men.

Finally, a former partner who was a supervisor spoke to the lieutenant and encouraged her to try out. "I felt like GI Jane. They were the two worst days of my life, and I was competing against guys seven years younger." Determination and heart placed her fourth out of nine. "I thought I wanted to die, wondering who in their right mind would want this."

Carrillo is the recipient of numerous commendations. As Texas governor, George Bush appointed her to the Violent Gang Task Force. Last March she was inducted into the El Paso Commission on Women's Hall of Fame, a first for a police officer, and received the FBI Community Leadership Award.

Five foot tall, weighing 105 pounds, Nicole Pellechia Armaganian was the first woman on the Concord, NH, Police Department Tactical Apprehension Containment Team (TACT) in 1999. One of six children, she went through college on a field hockey scholarship. She loves police work, implemented the Citizens' Police Academy and never had a problem with her TACT team members. Her experience on the team itself was positive. Armaganian was encouraged to try out and did not have any problems with the other parttime team members. "I loved the work and really enjoyed the physical training requirements," says Armaganian.

Accomplishments do not necessarily equal smooth sailing as a SWAT team member. Many women have to fight for every piece of equipment. Gear and uniforms that fit properly are another problem. SWAT gear is designed for men, leaving many women ordering a man's extra small, not the best solution if your dress size is four or six.

When male team members get new equipment, women often get secondhand goods regardless of how they placed during tryouts or longevity on the team. In some departments, equipment is passed on when officers leave. New team members will get some preferred gear rifles while women have been passed over in this process.

A lawsuit was filed against the Los Angeles Police Department for continually changing their SWAT team requirements. The woman filing the sex discrimination suit won and was eventually offered a position. She turned it down. The LAPD still has no female SWAT team members.

In sharp contrast is the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department that, until her promotion from captain to commander, had Cathy Taylor at the helm of its SWAT, canine and custody division. Never a SWAT team member, Taylor's first love was patrol, but three children changed her priorities for awhile. "I was born into a block of boys. It was either get out there and learn to spit and lie or cook. I understand the game," she says.

Taylor went through SWAT school from start to finish to completely understand what her officers do. She set up a process to mentor women into SWAT. When she took over as captain, there were a lot of raised eyebrows. "Many figured I was there to get my ticket punched," she says. She did an outstanding job. There were no women on the team when she arrived. There are now two SWAT deputies and one sergeant plus a canine deputy. As head of the department, Lee Baca also deserves credit for the progress the department has made in recruiting and advancing women.

These officers dispel the "women lack upper body strength" rationale used to deny women access to SWAT teams. Size is not an issue. Motivated women can be trained. The LA Sheriffs eliminated the physical agility test as part of the entrance requirements and teach it as part of the Academy curriculum. The number of passing women skyrocketed.

According to Harrington it is a miracle any women have made it onto SWAT teams. There tends to be a warrior mentality in policing, attracting people who like physical force and get wrapped up in it. She feels that law action about the physical agility tests, which tend to wash out women, is needed.

Colonel Theresa Kettlecamp of the Illinois State Police echoed Harrington's sentiments. "The state police have had low female representation because of the culture and because women go where they see other women."

Family issues can present real obstacles for women. Dickason's children were grown, and Taylor's were young when they joined their respective departments. Mikeska's marriage, with a rocky history, faltered when she finished her Quantico training. Scheduling is a real issue. SWAT team members are always on call. Calls can come at two in the morning or afternoon, and they can be there for hours.

Another issue that requires further examination is the length of time women spend on SWAT teams. Howard, with ten years, and Sergeant Diane Delaney at the Berkeley Police Department with 12 years, seem to be the exceptions. Promotions and family account for some of the movement out of SWAT.

Percentages are small for women in policing and smaller yet for women on SWAT and other specialty teams. To their credit, according to the women interviewed, their male team members have, for the most part, been supportive. The problems seem to come from men in lateral positions and higher up in police management. Departments with enlightened leaders like the Los Angeles County Sheriff s and the Annapolis Police have fewer problems along this line.

The terms trailblazers and pioneers only begin to describe what these female SWAT team members have accomplished. Higher visibility for these women will hopefully inspire others to contribute their skills in this critical area of law enforcement.

References:

• International Association of Women Police
• National Association of Women Law Enforcement Executives
• National Center for Women and Policing
• National Tactical Officers Association
• Women in Policing Institute

Deborah Prussel lived in the Los Angeles area where she was active in numerous women's organizations. An adjunct instructor at UCLA, her articles appeared in Enterprising Women, Working Woman and many others.