Women represent about half of the U.S. population, but women in law enforcement make up only 13%: around 96,000 nationwide. This gap matters, especially given the impact women have on policing. 

Research into gender in policing shows that women officers are viewed by communities as more honest, compassionate, and trustworthy. 

A uniformed female police officer engages with a community member during a traffic stop.

When it comes to public safety outcomes, women officers (compared to male officers) are less likely to: 

  • Draw their firearms  
  • Receive complaints 
  • Use excessive force 

In other words, their presence changes how policing works in everyday life. 

Let’s take a closer look at four fearless women officers who helped lead us here. 

Four Barrier-Breaking Women in Law Enforcement  

#1 Alice Stebbins Wells  

Alice Stebbins Wells wasn’t the first female police officer. (That distinction belongs to Marie Owens.) But her tireless advocacy led to initiatives that appointed female police officers in 16 U.S. cities by 1916—and inspired countless future generations. 

In 1910, Wells was a pastor, but she’d always wanted to work in law enforcement. She used her oratory skills to petition the city council and mayor of Los Angeles to join the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD). She succeeded and received full arresting powers. Wells even sewed her own uniform and attached Badge #1 to it after experiencing prejudice from a trolley conductor. 

During her tenure with the LAPD, she focused on: 

  • Working with juvenile offenders 
  • Missing persons cases 
  • Patrolling entertainment venues 

Wells founded the International Policewomen’s Association in 1915 while advocating for women to be hired in the force.  

#2 Isabella Goodwin 

In 1912, another female trailblazer became New York City’s first female detective. Her name was Isabella Goodwin. 

As a young woman, the quiet and intelligent Goodwin wanted to become an opera singer. But when her husband (a police officer) passed away, she decided to join the force. She passed the civil service exam, became a matron in 1896, and then rose to sergeant. 

Known for her hard work and exceptional intuition, she caught the attention of a police captain who asked her to go undercover. She later led the NYPD’s first Women’s Bureau and helped solve complex crimes until her retirement. 

Goodwin once noted that women made great detectives because they “can sense things for which at first you have no actual proof.”  In other words: intuition. 

#3 Georgia Ann Robinson 

In 1916, it wasn’t common to see a policewoman on duty—much less a Black officer. Georgia Ann Robinson was a hard-working community servant when an LAPD recruiter approached her in 1916. She began as a volunteer in the department before joining the force full-time in 1919, becoming one of the first Black women hired as a police officer in the U.S. 

Robinson started as a jail matron. While she cared for the needs of female inmates and delinquent children, she also co-founded a women’s shelter called the Sojourner Truth Home, which was much needed at the time in Los Angeles.  

#4 Susan Roley Malone 

Susan Roley Malone was a math teacher and a Marine before joining law enforcement. Malone lived in the suburbs of Washington, D.C., and always knew she wanted to be an FBI agent. When the position opened to women in 1972, she applied immediately and was hired alongside Joanne Pierce Misko: the first two female agents in the FBI. Her first cases? Investigating cattle rustling and train wrecking. 

When an FBI agent asked her why she wanted to serve, she responded, “I want to be here for the same reasons you want to be here.” And like the brave female law enforcement officers who came before and after, she persisted. 

Key Takeaways 

From the earliest days of policing, determined women in criminal justice found a way into a profession that underestimated them. Their impact reshaped public safety. 

Together, these stories remind us: 

  • Women remain underrepresented in policing.  
    They make up just 13% of the force, despite making up half of the U.S. population. 

  • Women officers consistently improve public safety outcomes.  
    They receive fewer complaints, use less force, and are less likely to reach for firearms. 

  • Progress came from persistence—not permission.  
    Many early women officers created their own paths (and even their own uniforms) when institutional doors were still firmly closed. 

  • Nontraditional backgrounds strengthened their leadership.  
    Skills gained throughteaching, caregiving, military service, and community work translated directly into effective policing and success. 

  • Women reshaped policing.  
    They expanded the focus to prevention, community trust, and vulnerable populations. These women also laid the groundwork for today’s female law enforcement executives and leaders. 

Today’s opportunities in law enforcement exist because women refused exclusion. Their legacy continues to shape modern law enforcement and criminal justice leadership. 

Be Part of What Comes Next 

Women still make up a relatively small percentage of law enforcement, but as these four pioneers showed, representation matters. Their legacy proved that diverse perspectives make policing more effective, more compassionate, and more connected to the communities it serves. 

If learning about women breaking barriers sparked something in you—curiosity, purpose, maybe even a calling—there are clear pathways into criminal justice waiting for you.  

The University of Texas Permian Basin’s fully online criminology programs are built for people who want to understand the law enforcement system and help shape its future from the inside:

Whether you’re just starting out or ready to move into leadership, these programs prepare you to bring the skills today’s communities need: critical thinking, empathy, and a commitment to justice that actually works. 

Wondering where this could take you? Learn more at UTPB. 

Sources: 
https://www.policechiefmagazine.org/learning-perceptions-women-in-policing/
https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2017/01/17/female-police-officers-on-the-job-experiences-diverge-from-those-of-male-officers
https://www.statista.com/statistics/195324/gender-distribution-of-full-time-law-enforcement-employees-in-the-us
https://americacomesalive.com/alice-s-wells-among-first-policewomen
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/armed-with-just-a-badge-los-angeles-first-policewoman-protected-the-citys-most-vulnerable-in-the-early-20th-century-180986190
https://www.fbi.gov/video-repository/newss-first-women-agents-susan-roley-malone-interview/view
https://wifle.org/trailblazers
https://movementforward.org/black-history-month-georgia-ann-robinson

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