Are Women Better Cops?

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A growing emphasis on other skills, especially communication, comes from a movement in many police departments away from traditional law enforcement into a community-oriented role. In major cities such as New York, Houston and Kansas City, the mark of a good officer is no longer simply responding to distress calls but working in partnership with citizens and local merchants to head off crime and improve the quality of life in neighborhoods. In Madison, which has been transformed from a traditional, call-driven department into a community-oriented operation in the past 20 years, police chief David Couper says female officers have helped usher in a "kinder, gentler organization." Says Couper: "Police cooperation and a willingness to report domestic abuse and sexual assaults are all up. If a person is arrested, there is more of a feeling that he will be treated right instead of getting beat up in the elevator."

In Los Angeles the city council is expected to pass a resolution next month that will lead to a 43% female force by the year 2000, up from 13.4% now. "We have so much to gain by achieving gender balance, we'd be nuts not to do it," says councilman Zev Yaroslavsky. Ideally, the solution in all cities and towns is a healthy mix of male and female officers that reflects the constituency they serve and the changing demands of the job.