Black Females in Law Enforcement

Abstract

Like their White counterparts, Black females were initially employed as social workers, matrons, and school crossing guards in police agencies. More recently, they have assumed positions as officers, middle managers, and chief executives. Several factors, including Black political empowerment and the quest for representative bureaucracy, have contributed to increases in the number of Black female sworn officers in urban police agencies. Yet they remain underrepresented, due in part to cultural and organizational barriers. There is a dearth of qualitative and quantitative studies that focus specifically on Black female police officers. Future research should consider the effect of social, economic, political, organizational, and demographic factors on Black female officers' representation and experiences.