i Have a few questions for the LEO's i am a women  trying to get into law enforcement and i am getting a lot of negative feedback.  alot of the officers that i have talked to look down on women in law enforcement , one of them even told me i dont belong and that it is not a job for women.  just wondering what your guys opinions are.  or in you have anyway of dealing with the negativity that comes along with it ?

Don't listen to that crap some of the best LEO's that I have worked with have been women...and I have been in the business going on 15 years at local,county and Fed levels. If you want to be a LEO go for it! But I would caution you to find a place to work that is more tolerant of females and not one that is hiring females just because they have to. Good Luck!

Who gives a shit what other people think.  If you want to do it than do it.  

I know and work with lots of good female officers.  

We need female officers too. Don't let negative comments get to you.

We have had several women in the PD and FD sides here.

Most of the female LEO's come here for the same reason as the men - we are a community where you get to bust bad guys, not just cruise for barking dogs and open garage doors in suburbia ( no offense to the well-heeled communities to our south). Most of the Female FF's come here to fight fires, under the same mindset - down south in "greenville" ($$) they "serve and reset" all day.

But along with doing the job comes being able to do the job. There isn't a female LEO I'd be worried about backing me up.

We've got one (of three) female FF's who's a problem waiting to happen - she makes continual notes in her notebook (in another language that she's fluent in), and has a history on other FD's of filing lawsuits. She supposedly made a complaint concerning separate sleeping quarters, although there's been no official response yet. In addition, she's rather diminutive in height, and has had difficulty accessing and utilizing several of the tools in the engines at incidents. She has also made multiple comments about how the department needs to accomodate her, and how we need to become more "diverse".

We have another female (a newly promoted Lt.) who once ventilated a roof from inside an attic space operating over her head. She's a good FF and decent leader, and most of us have no problems with her (except for her occasional cleaning demon bouts around the station) .

No offense to her intended (or other shorter FF's) as I've seen motivated smaller framed folks kick some *ss on scenes, but some folks might find a greater challenge in the basic tasks of the job, whether FD or LE. I've seen it here, as well as at other FD's. It calls for an honest self-assessment. In addition, (whether Fd or LE), you're going to be entering an entrenched position - you'll be better of in terms of acceptance if you can achieve the same performance standards as your male counterparts, without requiring "accommodation" or special conditions based primarily of your gender.

It's not PC, but it's how the system thinks.

If you're physically, mentally, and emotionally capable of getting out there on the __________,  then go for it. Don't let some old farts stand in your way.

Good luck to you.

If you look at it from a Ratio to Ratio standpoint, I have been more disappointed with MALE officers than female .

I have worked with about 10 female officers over the years and NOT A SINGLE ONE has been less than capable or unprofessional.  I have wored with about 5 MALE officers that I wish I could say the same thing about.....

To tell the truth, I can't readily come up with a time where a fellow officers have "bad mouthed" females in this profession, to me it's a non-issue.

Quoted: Who gives a shit what other people think.  If you want to do it than do it.   I know and work with lots of good female officers.

Ditto.

Quoted: Quoted: Who gives a shit what other people think.  If you want to do it than do it.   I know and work with lots of good female officers.   Ditto.

Same here

Guy or girl,  You've got to earn respect.   Get in and be safe, answer your calls.   Get in the fray when neccessary.        Go for it.

Here is my main pet peeve with female officers. If you get hired please do your fellow officers and yourself a favor and wait a few years before getting pregnant. Prove you can do the job before going to a light duty assignment.

We have had a female officer who barely made it past her probationary period before becoming pregnant and going to a desk. She has asked for and recieved an extension to her light duty because she wants to breast feed!!! She will be on light duty for almost 18 months!!!! Meanwhile, Patrol is short bodies and could use more help.

It may not seem fair to you but she has pretty much ruined her reputation with us....I consider her no different then a male officer who abuses his sick leave, neither one of them can be counted on.

Other then that I look at it as either you can do the job or you can't. Doesn't matter what you are.

I work with two female officers who aren't worth shit in a wet paper bag.  I don't have enough fingers and toes to count all the dipshit males officers that I work with.

It's not about what's between your legs that counts, it's what's between your ears.

Focus on being a GOOD streetcop.  Be physically fit.  Be proficient with your firearms.  Take as much tactical and investigative training as your dept will send you too.  If they wont send you, pay for it yourself.  Keep abreast of new trends.  Stay current with the legal aspects of the job....subscribe to the search and siezure bulletin and the arrest law bulletin.  It's a tax write-off.

These are things that I hammer into all of my recruits, regardless of sex.


Sheep

Quoted: Who gives a shit what other people think.  If you want to do it than do it.   I know and work with lots of good female officers.

Jadams pretty much hit the nail on the head.  

Quoted: Quoted: Who gives a shit what other people think.  If you want to do it than do it.   I know and work with lots of good female officers.   +! I'm also married to one. Ditto.

Of all the female officers I work with (at least 10), there is only 2 that I would even consider taking into battle with me.  Most of our female officers are lazy, scared, and rarely work the street due to sick time usage, pregnancy, you name it.  I don't mind female officers and would love to have a few that are worth a damn.  The ones we have seem to be worthless though.  It's not just the female officers, Many of our male officers are nothing more than a warm body in a cruiser.

If you want it, do it.  Stay in shape, be ready to take some shit (alot of bad guys don't enjoy being arrested by a woman), and be sharp.  Don't abuse your sick time and you will be fine.

There are plenty of women I work with. Just like men, there are some that are better at doing this than others. I think there's probably more of a hurdle to overcome for you if you're already getting negative feedback , but if your mindset is right, you won't have any problem. Don't take the job thinking you're going to save the world, though.

Quoted: Here is my main pet peeve with female officers. If you get hired please do your fellow officers and yourself a favor and wait a few years before getting pregnant. Prove you can do the job before going to a light duty assignment.

+1 for having the nuts to be honest enough to point this out.  

Quoted: ... some of the best LEO's that I have worked with have been women...

Your kidding right ???????  

There's a certain mentality needed to be a good cop.  Whether you're a woman or a man, it's no different.  I'm not going to delve into the whole debate on whether a woman can be a good cop, because I know they can.  I work with some damn fine female officers.  I also work with some female officers that have no place in law enforcement.  It's the same for men.  

If you're 5'2" 115lbs, you're going to have a hard time controlling a male suspect whose 6'2" 220lbs.  You need to train hard and be ready for it.  The natural size differential between men and women increases the difficulty for female officers in some respects.  It's just a hard fact.

However, it doesn't mean women can't do the job.  It just means that they can't do some things as easily as their male counterparts.  Tactics, training, and a good head on your shoulders will make up for what you might lack in size.  

In general, male law enforcement officers probably do tend to look down on female officers.  It's sad, but true.  It's no different than the mindset of people who stereotype and generalize people based on race or religion.

If you think you can do it, then go for it.  Be ready for the people who won't except you, but don't try to prove anything to anybody.  Just do your job, and do it well.  Know that the reason you train is not just to keep yourself safe, but so that you can be someones backup, who might one day need it.  Don't be the person that people are afraid to be partnered with.  Be the person who officers love to have arrive to assist.  If you're confident in your skills, and have taken every opportunity to maximize them, then you'll do just fine.  

Quoted: If you're 5'2" 115lbs, you're going to have a hard time controlling a male suspect whose 6'2" 220lbs.  You need to train hard and be ready for it.  The natural size differential between men and women increases the difficulty for female officers in some respects.  It's just a hard fact.

I'm 5'11 and 180 lbs...I'd probably have a hard time controlling a 6'2" 220 lb suspect.  

In my 7.5 years I've never had a fight where they just hauled off and attacked me.  That kind of stuff happens very rarely, from what I've seen, to officers that carry themselves well and have the smarts to have back up there when shit goes down and are able to read people well.  

I have no problem working with women as long as they do the job. As some have already stated, I have had more guys with issues then females.  

I don't see a problem with it as long as they know how to handle themselves.  We've had a few that get pregnant right away and snake there way into positions that everyone else had to wait for.  I know of one that only spent about 6 months in the field of her 4 year career.   I've worked with others that I have the utmost respect and admiration for too.  

When I'm down on the line and the shit hits the fan, I don't care if it's a female or male officer coming to back me up. It's what they do when they get here that counts.

About two years ago I was on a call that went to shit mostly because the Officer in charge (a female that had been in dispatch, but made the switch) was a bumblefuck and didn't let the rest of us know what was going on. Due in part to that confusion one of the suspects tried to attack a fellow Officer. During the course of the fight my leg wound up getting broken and I was out on workers comp for 4 months. I now have two plates and seventeen screws in my left leg. That same female Officer a short time later she became pregnant and got off the street.

That being said it hasn't changed my view of females in Law Enforcement. I still take each one on their own merits. This is the same was I look at the male Officers I work with, and the same way I'm sure they all look at me.

So far during my career I have noticed suspects seem to be more willing to try to fight when there are female Officers present. The majority of the fights I have been involved in there has been at least one female Officer directly involved in either the contact or cover of the suspect. There have been other times where I was only with male Officers and I expected the suspect to fight, but nothing happened.

 

Thank you for all your advice, i am set on what i want to do and that is not going to change.