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Women Warriors: Stories from the Thin Blue Line
This book is unique in that it contains stories written solely by women in law enforcement regarding their experiences on the job. Some of the narratives will make you laugh, others will make you weep. Some will outrage you as you try and understand why people act as they do.
Women working the streets in law enforcement are a relatively recent phenomenon. In 1970, only 2% of all law enforcement officers were women, but by 1991 that number had risen to 9%. Numbers from the years 2007 and 2008 suggest the number of women involved in policing is almost 100,000, or just over 15%. (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2010).
Having been involved in law enforcement since 1971, I can attest to the fact that the ranks of women in policing have increased dramatically. There are a number of reasons for this uptick, not the least of which is that law enforcement is no longer regarded as only a “man’s job.” We’ve learned over the years that women perform equally as well as men do in this vocation. Obviously, both genders bring different skills and abilities to the job, but in the final analysis, both sexes put the bad guys in jail.
Why write about women in law enforcement? Because during my career, I’ve trained scores of women in a variety of disciplines: defensive tactics, firearms and fitness, to name a few. I’ve seen their determination and tested their mettle. I’ve watched as some quit, not unlike some of their male colleagues, and marveled as others fought through adversity and won. I’ve mentored some who have gone on in their careers to be highly successful. Sadly, I’ve seen a few make the ultimate sacrifice and lay down their lives for their fellow man. Needless to say, I am inspired by the daily battle waged by our women in blue.
We will forever be grateful to those who have unselfishly put themselves in harm’s way and ultimately lost the battle. Their reward, however, is eternal life. For us who remain behind, we take comfort in seeing their names inscribed on the sacrosanct walls of the National Law Enforcement Memorial in Washington, D.C. alongside those of their brothers who also died in the line of duty
The stories you are about to read are compelling and give us, the readers, an insight into the minds of these exceptional women. I refer to them as Women Warriors because, as you will see, they fight tenaciously and savagely to uphold the oath they swore: To Serve and Protect. May the patron saint of police officers, St. Michael, protect each of them as they risk their lives each day so that we may live in peace.
Women working the streets in law enforcement are a relatively recent phenomenon. In 1970, only 2% of all law enforcement officers were women, but by 1991 that number had risen to 9%. Numbers from the years 2007 and 2008 suggest the number of women involved in policing is almost 100,000, or just over 15%. (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2010).
Having been involved in law enforcement since 1971, I can attest to the fact that the ranks of women in policing have increased dramatically. There are a number of reasons for this uptick, not the least of which is that law enforcement is no longer regarded as only a “man’s job.” We’ve learned over the years that women perform equally as well as men do in this vocation. Obviously, both genders bring different skills and abilities to the job, but in the final analysis, both sexes put the bad guys in jail.
Why write about women in law enforcement? Because during my career, I’ve trained scores of women in a variety of disciplines: defensive tactics, firearms and fitness, to name a few. I’ve seen their determination and tested their mettle. I’ve watched as some quit, not unlike some of their male colleagues, and marveled as others fought through adversity and won. I’ve mentored some who have gone on in their careers to be highly successful. Sadly, I’ve seen a few make the ultimate sacrifice and lay down their lives for their fellow man. Needless to say, I am inspired by the daily battle waged by our women in blue.
We will forever be grateful to those who have unselfishly put themselves in harm’s way and ultimately lost the battle. Their reward, however, is eternal life. For us who remain behind, we take comfort in seeing their names inscribed on the sacrosanct walls of the National Law Enforcement Memorial in Washington, D.C. alongside those of their brothers who also died in the line of duty
The stories you are about to read are compelling and give us, the readers, an insight into the minds of these exceptional women. I refer to them as Women Warriors because, as you will see, they fight tenaciously and savagely to uphold the oath they swore: To Serve and Protect. May the patron saint of police officers, St. Michael, protect each of them as they risk their lives each day so that we may live in peace.
354 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 23, 2012
2 people are currently reading
11 people want to read
About the author
John M. Wills
18 books8 followersJohn M. Wills is a former Chicago police officer and retired FBI agent. He is a freelance writer and award-winning author in a variety of genres, including novels, short stories and poetry. He has published more than 150 articles relating to officer training, street survival, fitness and ethics. John also writes book reviews for the New York Journal of Books and is a member of the National Book Critics Circle. He also writes video scripts honoring fallen first responders and military personnel for the William McLain Foundation. His latest novel is, The Storm.. Visit John at:https://jwillsbooks.com/ .
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
October 10, 2012
Women Warriors: Stories of the Thin Blue Line
by John M. Wills
A review of Women Warriors by Anthony T. Riggio
I gave this anthology of stories of and by women in Law Enforcement five stars. I bought this book in the Kindle version from Amazon. The author is a personal friend of mine and I have read all of his books and have watched his literary style evolve. John wills is an exceptional author who writes from a broad base of experience both as a street cop in Chicago and as an FBI street agent and later as an instructor at the FBI Academy.
This anthology of stories compiled by John Wills is a very fast read and very enlightening about the efforts and struggles of women working in what, until the last thirty or so years, was a “mans” domain. This thought is based on the aggressive and macho perception that law enforcement was portrayed by the media and novels. The role of woman has been a tremendous addition to the field of law enforcement and perhaps has had a tempering effect on the image of this very tough and demanding vocation.
Each of the stories in this book is preceded with a thumb nail of the heroine’s personal story. Often these thumbnails are as inspiring as the story itself. That our culture has such women is a blessing, we as citizens should be most grateful. The Author’s effort in heralding these stories is a tribute to the profession itself.
I highly recommend reading this book.
by John M. Wills
A review of Women Warriors by Anthony T. Riggio
I gave this anthology of stories of and by women in Law Enforcement five stars. I bought this book in the Kindle version from Amazon. The author is a personal friend of mine and I have read all of his books and have watched his literary style evolve. John wills is an exceptional author who writes from a broad base of experience both as a street cop in Chicago and as an FBI street agent and later as an instructor at the FBI Academy.
This anthology of stories compiled by John Wills is a very fast read and very enlightening about the efforts and struggles of women working in what, until the last thirty or so years, was a “mans” domain. This thought is based on the aggressive and macho perception that law enforcement was portrayed by the media and novels. The role of woman has been a tremendous addition to the field of law enforcement and perhaps has had a tempering effect on the image of this very tough and demanding vocation.
Each of the stories in this book is preceded with a thumb nail of the heroine’s personal story. Often these thumbnails are as inspiring as the story itself. That our culture has such women is a blessing, we as citizens should be most grateful. The Author’s effort in heralding these stories is a tribute to the profession itself.
I highly recommend reading this book.
March 19, 2013
I thought the book gave readers an inside look at women in law enforcement from a rare and raw view. It was enjoyable with stories from sad, triumphant, ordinary, extraordinary, funny..etc. It covers just about everything a female cop may go through in a career.
May 30, 2013
I enjoyed this book. The stories shared by these women will touch you. At times, I laughed and at times I cried, but I'm very glad I read this book.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews