The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-12-26
TOPEKA STATE JOURNAL
INFORM ALTON
BUREAU
PoL1cEwoMEN IN WASHINGTON

washington. D. G

dignity and worth OF the Professfon
of policewomen have been established
for once and for all in the eyes of |
American women by the fact that DR.. |
Anna Howard Shaw, the famous and |
we'll beloved leader OF the suffragists. |
has been sworn in as an honorary |
member of the police force OF the
District OF Columbia.
DR.. Shaw has been a professor. an
author, minister, and is a states
woman of international reputation.
but for forty years, according to her
self. she has cherished an unfulfilled
ambition to be a policewoman. and
at last her ambition has been fulfilled.
The poucewoman has been an in
teresting figure In some American
cities for a year or more. Her USE
fulness is admitted. But public, opin-
ion has not quite succeeded in placing
her yet. 1t has not decided whether
it is quite 'womanly' to be police
woman, and neither has it decided
where to put the poiicewoman in the
social scale.
DR.. Shaw's enlistment in the District
of Columbia police force may be taken
as expressing the opinion which is
held by all really thoughtful .'tudents
of social problems-that the profess
sion Of policewoman is one with i'm
mense possibilities for good. and one
which is worthy of women Of the very
best education and ability. The Wash
ington police force, under Major Pull
man. has recognized this ct by en-
listing a corps of just such womenan
its service.
The Washington police force has
now eight women in its women's divi-
! sion. This bureau. which was started
! last September, has proved to be so
valuable that Major Pullman, chief of
! police. has requested the United States
employment service to supply him
| with as many more. AS fast as appii-
cants can prove that they are qualified
/ to undertake the WORK, they are being
| sworn in.
In discussing the necessary qualifi-
! cations for policewoman, Major Pull
man said: No woman need apply to
| the United States employment service
| for a place in our womans bureau
| who does not have q social conscience
and q desire to save humanity. For
tie woman who just wants a job, we
| have no place. I want to elevate the
standard of police york SO it will at
| tract women of geod education and
the best ability. The problems that
confront us are often SO delicate and
| intricate that they can only be handled
| by especially trained women.
"Police work is something more
/ than supplying q man with a club and
| telling him to go forth and put all the
bad men in Jail. Our object is preven-
| ton rather than punishment, and it is
police ethics that the presence of
women in police work is SO necessary"
| An outline of the work done by the
| women includes the following duties:
to discover conditions needing cor
rection, to supervise amusement
! places. to aid in locating runaway
girls, to follow and warn girls in dam
| ger. to assist in enforcement of the
| law, to befriend girls whose home life
| does not give protection of the right
| sort, and to do personal work with
women and girls.
| 1t is the object of the bureau to
| handle most .of the crimes committed
| by or against women and girls and to
investigate conditions placing girls in
danger. A thoro survey has been
made of the conditions in Washington
hotels, rooming and boarding houses.
rest rooms. burlesque shows. dance
halls, movies, parks, Fairgrounds and
workrooms. The bureau Is also CO.
operating with all existing agencies in
Washington and elsewhere to facili-
| tate Investigations and to serve as a
general clearing house of information
of all girls who come in contact with
these agencies. A record is-kept on
file of every girl brought to the at
tention OF the bureau. These records
are, of course, only accessible to those
directly interested in the case.
;
| preventive work, I think, is what
the women of the bureau are more in
terested in than anything else" said
Mrs. Arthur B. Spingarn, head of the
bureau. "If by a little foresight, q lit
tie extra work we can prevent some
girl from getting into trouble or vio-
IatiHg law. then we feel more than
repaid for our efforts. A girl will tell
her story much more freely to a wom-
an. Because of the sympathy and I'm
derstanding the women police can give
the case, it is often possible to have
the sentence suspended and the girl
let out on probation.
''The first time a girl commits lar
ceny we are more interested in the
conditions that led to the committing
Of this crime than in the actual Of
Tense. 1t is only by making study
of these conditions that we can hope
to prevent similar offenses."
Besides the regular police work as
outlined above, women may also fill
, positions as traffic police. Washing.
,, ton is the first city in the United States
| to have a lady traffic cop" so sue
!, cessful has this experiment turned oui
, that Major Pullman is ready to take
on any woman who has the makings
| Of a traffic director. Only strong, ath
le-sc women with traffic sense need
apply. They must have had some ex.
rience in driving, and know ths
| rules of the road. They must alss
have gumption, initiative, dignity, re.
sourcefuiness, quick observation and
confidence. Private King, Washing
/, toms one and only traffic coppette,'
wears a very becoming dark blue uni
form with leather belt and puttees
The coat is close fitting; the full skir'
reaches to the top of her puttees
Large pockets and brass buttons ado
an air of swagger to the costume. The
small blue cap is similar to the over
4 -an n W
pers will really be quite an attraction
on public thorofares. But the womer
who wish to apply should think less
about the uniform and more about
) the responsibilities, for traffic must be
| directed no matter how cold and wei
. | the winter how hot the