Evening star., 1933-01-16
MRS. VAN W|NKLE,
LONG ILL, EXPIRES
Founder of Women's Bureau
in Police Department
Retired Year Ago.

Lieut.. Nina c. Van Wrinkle, inter
nationally known police woman and
the founder of the Woman's Bureau,
Metropolitan Police Department, died
at 11:20 o'clock this morning at her
home. 1925 Thirty-fourth street. She
had been Ill for more than a year.
Less than year ago, Mrs. Van
Wrinkle was retired from the Police
Department as the result of a pro-
longed Illness. In the meantime, how
ever, she had made encouraging prog
ress toward recovery until last week,
when she suffered relapse. She was
So years old.
Fought Abolition Attempts.
Throughout her career on the Po-
lice Department. which began october
z. 1918 Mrs. Van Wrinkle was forced
to fight persistent efforts to have the
Women's Bureau abolished. Nearly
every year attempts were made in Con-
gress to have appropriations for the
bureau cut of, but she fought back
persistently to have IL permanently es-
tablished by law. The bureau is a
creation of the District Commissioners
and can be wiped out by their order.
Several months before her retirement
on JsyNlary 81, 1929, Mrs. Van Wrinkle
became seriously III and underwent an
operation at Johns Hopkins University
in Baltimore. Her condition improved
slightly. but ever since she had been
confined to her home
When it became apparent that she
would not recover sufficiently for her
police duties, Maj. Henry @. Pratt, for
mer superintendent Of police, appointed
Sergt. Rhoda Milliken to succeed her
as head Of the Women's Bureau.
Long regarded as one Of the Nations
foremost social workers, Lieut.. Van
Wrinkle came to Washington in 1918
to organize and direct the Woman's
Bureau of the Police Department, cre-
ated during the administration Of the
late Raymond w. Pullman, then ma jor
and superintendent of police. And
through her IA years Of service with the
Police Department and through civic
and philanthropic work in other places
she gained wide recognition as leader
in social reforms.
Previous to coming to Washington
Mrs. Van Wrinkle lived in Newark, N. J.,
where she was successfully the head Of
girls home, financial secretary to the
Bureau of Associated Charities, chair
man of the Infant Hygiene Association
and for eight years president of the
Women's Political Union of New Jersey,
campaigning for suffrage while 1t was
still an unpopular cause. During the
World War she served as director of the
Speakers Bureau Of the Federal Food
Administration, in which she gave i'm
measurable aid to the Government in
its all-important program for food con-
servation.
Supervises Training Course.
In addition to her duties with the
Police Department, Lieut.. Van Wrinkle
supervised training course at George
Washington University for active and
prospective social workers, police off,
GERS, both men and women; students
of sociology and psychology and others
interested in social welfare work
Some idea Of the importance of the
work done by Mrs. Van Wrinkle as d.
rector of the Woman's Bureau is indi-
Gated by the fact that the department
every year is called upon to deal with
more than 5000 different cases-this in
addition to the numerous untabulated
calls from persons seeking assistance or
advice in connection with children or
domestic relations. One of Tie chief
functions of the bureau is the main
tenance and operation of the House of
Detention, an institution where women
and children detained by the police are
housed.
One Of the most important contribu-
tions by Mrs Van Wrinkle to the work
of the bureau was her careful de-
lineation Of the work properly to be un-
dertaken by policewomen. These as well
as general outline of the activities of
the Women'S Bureau, inspired by her,
and set forth in the police manuel, in
clude that 1t is the duty of the bureau
to deal socially and legally with all de-
linquent children under IT years of age,
to adopt any legal measure that may
be necessary to eradicate conditions
tending to cause or contribute to any
such delinquency: to deal with all mat
tiers relating to lost children and fugi-
tives from parents, guardians, institu-
tions, etc, to make special investiga-
tions of neighborhood conditions, res
taurants. hotel, rooming houses, public
dance halls and other places of amuse-
ment, and assist the various police pre-
cincts in the prevention and detection
of crime.
Met Considerable Opposition.
Mrs. Van Wrinkles task In develop
ing the Woman's Bureau was not any
easy one-she met with considerable
opposition, especially in the early DAYS
Of the bureau, which threatened to
bring about the abolition of the de-
partment.
Through all her trials and tribula-
tions, however Lieut.. Van Wrinkle sue
ceeded in establishing the bureau as a
necessary and important adjunct to the
Police Department The bureau grew
rapidly and its activities have won much
favorable opinion
Mrs. Van Wrinkle was a member Of the
League of Women Voters, the National
Conference of Social Work, the Art and
Archaeology Association, the Women's
City Club. the Monday Evening Club,
the Soroptimists. Arts Club. Riding and
Hunt Club, the Penguin Club, the New
York Women's City Club, the Con-
temporary Club of Newark, N. j., and
other organizations.
She was also past president of the In
ternational Association of Policewomen.