Where Is Your Partner?

I was working the night shift  (Midnight – 8:00 AM) one night in one of the cities where I worked and was sent to a possible prowler call at a private residence.   I believe it was about 1:30 AM. The reporting party thought someone might be in their basement. I parked a few houses away and cautiously walked through several neighbor’s yards. (I wanted to park a short distance away and not approach on the sidewalk in case there was a look out person that might shoot at me.)  I knocked on the front door, which was answered by a middle-aged woman.

I told her I was there in response to her call concerning a possible prowler. When I tried to walk into the house the lady said something to the effect, wasn’t I going to wait for my partner? I told her I did not have a partner that I was working alone. She couldn’t believe such a thing and if I were married what kind of man would allow his wife to work alone late at night. She said she didn’t want me to check her basement.  She further stated, if all they were going to send was a woman she would check the basement herself. I tried to talk her into letting me check the basement, that if there was someone down there it could be dangerous. She still refused. I left and went back into service.

Admittedly, this was about thirty years ago, hopefully attitudes have changed.  I hadn’t had an experience that blatant in the more recent years, but I still detected an underlying sense that people preferred a male officer and male officers made them feel safer.

Why do you think people feel male officers are more competent?  I haven’t checked the statistics recently, but for some of my college work I did research on the differences between male and female police officers and statistically women officers were not assaulted and injured more than male officers.  How do you feel about female police officers? What do you think female officers should do to instill more confidence in them with the public?

Until next time,

Sally S