Famous Female Cops by Jennifer Kinchenloe

RHYS BOWEN:   I met Jennifer Kincheloe when we were fellow nominees for the Lefty historical award this year at Left Coast Crime in Phoenix. We were on a panel together and had a chance to chat and I found out our heroines had a lot in common. My Molly Murphy works with the first woman on the NYPD and Jennifer writes a similar story but in early 1900s Los Angeles. Fascinating stuff, as you'll find out when you read. Welcome Jennifer!

Jennifer Kincheloe Thanks so much to the Jungle Reds for having me. I’m honored to have been on a panel with Rhys at Left Coast Crime 2016, and nominated alongside Rhys for the Lefty Award for Best Historical Mystery.  Congratulations on her win!

In 1910, the Los Angeles Police Department commissioned their first policewoman, Alice Stebbins Wells. Before becoming a cop, Alice was a police matron at Central Station like the protagonist in my debut novel, THE SECRET LIFE OF ANNA BLANC. It’s set in 1907 LA and features a naïve socialite who buys off her chaperone and, using an alias, secretly gets a job as a matron with the LAPD.  Alice inspired the book.

In the spirit of the novel, I thought I’d introduce you to a few of my favorite lady cops.

The first lady cop that I know about is Ela of Salisbury (1187 - 1261) a wealthy English heiress and the suo jure Countess of Salisbury. Ela was married off at the age of nine, but when her husband died in 1196, Ela secured the appointment of High Sheriff of Wiltshire. Way to recreate yourself.

Skip across the pond and meet Officer Rose Fortune. Rose was born into slavery in 1774 in the British colony of Virginia. When she was ten, her family escaped during the American Revolution and settled in Nova Scotia. Rose started a business delivering baggage between ships and hotels. She spent hours everyday on the pier, which attracted a rough crowd. I picture fugitives, fallen women, conmen, and drunken sailors. Rose had a natural air of authority. Since no one else would do it, she began singlehandedly policing the wharf, setting curfews, and maintaining order. She appointed herself as the town police officer. Today she is honored as Canada’s first female cop. (Remind me to appoint myself as something cool)

In the US, before there were policewomen, there were police matrons.  Back in the day, women suspects and prisoners were “cared for” by male cops and prison guards, who were often too caring, so to speak. In the late 1800s, women’s clubs stepped in and lobbied to have police matrons placed in police stations and jails to keep the boys in line. Matrons watched over lady prisoners, questioned female suspects, hunted for missing persons, and sometimes they solved crimes.

In 1888, Lucy Gray became the first police matron in Los Angeles. Police records also refer to her as a detective. A forty-seven year-old widow with eight children, Lucy lived over the jail in Central Station where she was continuously on-call to receive and deal with prisoners. She stood five feet tall and weighed one hundred pounds, yet Lucy commanded prisoners with an iron will. Her daughter, Aletha Gilbert, became LA’s second police matron, initially working for no pay. In many states, the police did not fund matrons’ salaries, so women’s clubs paid them.

In 1908, Police Chief Williams appointed Fanny Bixby, daughter of a wealthy land baron, a 'Special Police Officer' for the City of Long Beach. Fanny was young, single, gorgeous, and carried a gun. Her father did not approve of her police work, and high society gossiped mercilessly, but Fanny did it anyway. Sound like anyone you know? (Okay, if you haven’t read the book, it sounds like Anna Blanc.) The city named a rollercoaster after Fanny.

There are hundreds more historic, heroic cops who are also women (I really think we need trading cards). You can meet more of them on my Pinterest page at www.pinterest.com/jrkincheloe/women-police-officers-and-police-matron-pioneers-m/

Jennifer is a research scientist turned writer of historical fiction. Her debut novel, THE SECRET LIFE OF ANNA BLANC is the winner of the Colorado Gold Award for Mystery, and a finalist in the Lefty Awards for Historical Mystery. She lives in Denver, Colorado with her husband, two children, dog, and cat.

Jennifer Kincheloe loves her readers, so drop her a line. You can find her via her website at www.jenniferkincheloe.com or on Facebook www.facebook.com/TheSecretLifeofAnnaBlanc where she posts beautiful, humorous, or surprising pictures from the 1900s. Her Twitter handle is @jenkincheloe. Her Pinterest page is a destination www.pinterest.com/jrkincheloe