I've taken some heat for neglecting women in this column. I must admit, I am remiss. I even let an article go to the dogs before I included a woman officer. So, off I went to research women in law enforcement. Unfortunately, there isn't a great deal written on the subject. So, I figured I would go back to the source... who was the first female officer? I'm not even referring to the Police Matrons that were assigned to jails and children's homes. I'm talking about having arrest powers. Well, here is where it gets tricky.

In the late 19th Century, many municipalities employed women to assist in the handing of women and children in jails, prisons and mental health institutions. By the 1840s, most police departments in the United States had in their employ police Matrons. These women were not what we consider a police officer today (they did not carry a weapon and did not have arrest powers), but they were instrumental in leading the way for today's women with a badge.

This brings us to the question: Who was the first female law enforcement officer? On April 1, 1908 (really, no joke), the city of Portland, Oregon appointed Lola Baldwin (48) as a sworn female detective to perform police service. Baldwin was previously employed by the Portland Travelers' Aid Society in an effort to keep women and children from the "moral pitfalls" surrounding the Lewis and Clark Exposition (what would be considered a fair today). Apparently, the great many single men that came to the area for the exposition made the city fathers nervous. City leaders were so impressed by Lola's performance that the mayor, city council and chief of police decided to create her position within the police department. Lola served as the Superintendent of the Women's Auxiliary to the Police Department for the Protection of Girls. This, of course, followed her passing of the specialized female detective civil service exam (the exam was created specifically for Officer Baldwin). While Officer Baldwin would eventually serve a 14 year career as the firsts police woman with powers of arrest, she viewed her role more as crime prevention than enforcement.