POLICEWOMEN IN PLAIN CLOTHES

Dominion, Volume 16, Issue 157, 21 March 1923, Page 11

POLICEWOMEN IN PLAIN CLOTHES

WORK IN WASHINGTON MRS. MINA VAN WINKLE’S EXPERIENCE Some of tho services that are performed by policewomen in Washington, who work in plain clothes', were described in a recent interview with a representative of the London “Observer” bv Airs. Alina Van Winkle, head of the Women’s Bureau of the Aletrooolitan Police Department of Washington. who was visiting London and was on her way to the Continent to studv the work of policewomen in

Europe. The Washington Bureau, Airs. Van Winkle explained, was formed five years.ago. after the chief of police had studied the system in London. “It. was the only one in the United States at that time,” she said, “which was voluntarily established by the local municipal authority, and on the suggestion of the chief of police himself, who believed it would add to the efficiency of ‘ the Department. Policewomen in other cities—and there are three hundred cities now where they have them—have been appointed as the result of tho efforts of the women’s clubs and organisations to get their services accepted by the municipal governments. “In Washington our work is very largely preventive and protective. YVe have the same powers of arrest that men have, and we are their equals in everything: we have to accept the same discipline, and we enjoy the same privileges.” . To illustrate how the women work with the men. Mrs. Van Winkle mentioned that the night before she left for Europe she was herself the highest officer at a raid on a cabaret, being in charge of two other policewomen and eight or ten policemen. They went in and “cleaned the place up.” Shoplifting. There are now -twenty policewomen in Washington, who not only patrol the streets with the object of preventing and detecting crime, but also have chargo of a house of detention for ofi’onders awaiting trial. One of their duties also is to put women in the snops to arrest -shoplifters. Last year as many as four hundred were arrested, including a large number of girls. The alluring way in which the shops display their goods' is to some extent, one. gathered, responsible for offences on this considerable scale, but they have a more lenient way in Washington with ladies who go to tho sales and steal the goods than that which is adopted in London. There they are allowed, without the ordeal of a trial in court, to make complete restitution, and are placed on voluntary probation. This method is so successful that it is a very rare thing to find any repetition of the offence. Many of these shoplifters are members of first-class families. The case was mentioned of a girl who stele -six pairs of long white gloves, at twelve dollars a pair, who could quite well have bought them, and also that of a woman who has entertained diplomatiste, but stole little things from a shop for servants’ wear. Offences Against Children. Tho work, perhaps, of the greatest value that has been performed by the Washington policewomen is that of protecting children from men with evil intentions. Women can devote more time to work of this delicate aid important character than men, Airs. Van Wjnkle pein ted out, and her experience shows that the children themselves will not give men the information they give to wojnen. “And t-h»t,” she said, “works in two ways: it works for the conviction of the man who ill-uses a. child, and it works for the i©formation of .the child, herself.” Ono man who was btought to justice through the efforts of the policewomen of Washington ha been sentenced to thirty years’ imprisonment for oflences against a child, and another is in prison for ten years. The number of policewomen throughout America to-day exceeds a thousand. “The demand is growing so. rapidly, ■it was stated, “that it is difficult to provide women who have the necessary training for the work. And it is not every woman who is capable of doing good work who regards the position of a policewoman as the most alluring in the world. Often she would rather take less money in some other service. But we think that in police service lies the greatest opportunity for the social worker. No Uniform. “In Washington we do not wear un> form: we think we can do better work' without. If a child of mine got inntrouble I should prefer a plain-clothe--policewoman to .take her through streets than one in' uniform., On my wav to London I visited Dublin, lhe policewomen there do not wear uniform. And I do not know of anv policewomen in America who wear it; there may,be some who do, but I have no knowledge of them. - “In some case, no doubt, uniform has a definite value- People recognisinp- a policewoman would come to her to give information. But there are many things a policewoman must do that would be resented by the average citizen if she attempted to do them in uniform. A policewoman cannot do good preventive work unless she is in plain clothes.