RT Article
T1 “Well Boys, Welcome to the New Law Enforcement”: Reactions to Women on Elite Specialty Units
JF Women & criminal justice
VO 34
IS 6
SP 400
OP 418
A1 Todak, Natalie
A2 Mitchell, Renée J.
A2 Tolber, Rachel
LA English
YR 2024
UL https://krimdok.uni-tuebingen.de/Record/1908929871
AB Elite police specialty units are almost exclusively the domains of men. While women have made strides on patrol in many agencies, elite units have not witnessed the same progress. In this study, we interviewed 32 policewomen from across the United States who defied the odds and cultural perceptions of “appropriate” roles for women by earning positions on elite specialty units (i.e., SWAT, K9, motorcycles, and bomb units). Most were the only women on their units and half were the first in their agencies’ histories to enter that space. Participants’ descriptions of department, community, and team members’ responses to their selection are analyzed. Our focus on women who have broken the most formidable gender barriers in law enforcement allows us to better understand the continued exclusion of women and offer recommendations for increasing gender diversity throughout policing.
K1 Women
K1 specialty units
K1 Qualitative
K1 Policing
K1 Police
K1 Interviews
DO 10.1080/08974454.2022.2028704