During the 19th century, women were often employed as matrons of women’s prisons or juvenile detention centers, but there weren’t any that worked as police officers in the United States. This would change in 1891 when Marie Owens was appointed as a detective within the Chicago Police Department. 

She was hired as a “special detective” to work in the city’s vice districts investigating crimes such as gambling and prostitution. She soon earned a reputation for being a fearless and skilled detective who was capable of securing a number of arrests and convictions during her career. 

Marie Owens was just a Chicago police detective, however. She also worked to advocate for women’s rights, especially as it pertained to law enforcement. She became one of the founders of the International Association of Policewomen and ended up serving from 1915 to 1918 as the organization’s president. 

In 1923, she retired from the police department after more than three decades of service. Her contributions can still be felt today and they still serve as an inspiration to many women, even to this day. 

Although it’s now possible for more women to enter law enforcement than ever before, women entering this field still face many challenges such as harassment, discrimination, and lack of opportunities for advancement. Hopefully, these challenges can eventually be overcome and more women will be able to enter law enforcement on the same level playing field as men do. 

Although we’re unsure of exactly when this holiday was created, we do know that it’s been around for a few years now. It was likely created by various police organizations around the U.S. We’ll continue to try to find the origins of this holiday and if we find anything new we’ll update this section as appropriate. #OccasionalDigest #Police