Has anybody encountered Joseph Wambaugh's reverse opinion that female cops are better than male cops?
Apparently he spoke before the LA city council in 1992 in favor of preferential hiring of female cops, saying they were superior to male cops. The council agreed, and hired more female cops.
Here's an editorial in the Seattle-Post Intelligencer from March 25:
(no link available)
Quote:
PLUG FOR FEMALE POLICE
Author Joseph Wambaugh, known for his witty-gritty cop characters in The Onion Field and other novels, has made a convincing argument that the choir needs more women.
His argument has convinced a Los Angeles City Council committee to find better ways to recruit more female officers.
Police work is a rough business, but Wambaugh, a former L.A. police sergeant, makes the case that male cops may naturally make it rougher by the way they approach conflict -- at least rougher than female cops do.
Wambaugh says females have better verbal skills, "and no cop can succeed without communications skills." Besides, "females mature earlier than males, thus attaining the most important police qualification at an earlier age: common sense."
In short, the streets are safer for everyone when the police rely on brains rather than batons.
We would hope Wambaugh's savvy suggestion is heeded and that all police agencies more actively recruit, promote and retain qualified female officers.
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