Women in Southern State Police and Highway Patrol Agencies, 1972-2012
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University of New Orleans ScholarWorks@UNO University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations Dissertations and Theses Spring 5-18-2018 Asphalt Magnolias: Women in Southern State Police and Highway Patrol Agencies, 1972-2012 Genevieve May University of New Orleans, New Orleans, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.uno.edu/td Part of the Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons Recommended Citation May, Genevieve, "Asphalt Magnolias: Women in Southern State Police and Highway Patrol Agencies, 1972-2012" (2018). University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations. 2474. https://scholarworks.uno.edu/td/2474 This Dissertation is protected by copyright and/or related rights. It has been brought to you by ScholarWorks@UNO with permission from the rights-holder(s). You are free to use this Dissertation in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s) directly, unless additional rights are indicated by a Creative Commons license in the record and/ or on the work itself. This Dissertation has been accepted for inclusion in University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks@UNO. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Asphalt Magnolias: Women in Southern State Police and Highway Patrol Agencies, 1972-2012 A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the University of New Orleans in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Urban Studies By Genevieve L. May B.S. Southeastern Louisiana University, 1972 MPA Louisiana State University, 2002 M.S. Southern University of Baton Rouge, 2006 M.S. University of New Orleans, 2016 May, 2018 Acknowledgements I want to thank my committee members who have encouraged, guided, and exhibited enormous patience with me over the course of my studies and throughout this process. I began this program because I wanted to tell the stories of the women in state police and highway patrol agencies. Having served in law enforcement over 42 years, 32 of which with the state police, would not solely qualify me to tell their stories in an objective and empirical way. I could not have succeeded without the unconditional support of Dr. Pamela Jenkins. She was near retirement when I asked her to take me and my story on. A champion of equality and social justice, she agreed without hesitation. Neither of us dreamed she would be working with me for many years after her retirement, because she trusted me and the story I wanted to tell. I want to thank Dr. Renia Ehrenfeucht, the former Chair of the Urban Studies Department. She provided me encouragement and support when I really needed it. She stuck with me and others when we wanted to give up on ourselves. A great educator - she is gone but not forgotten. I also owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to Dr. Bethany Stich for bringing me into her “fold” and making sure I stayed on track when day-to-day life got in the way and sought to derail my motivation. She ensured that I, and several other students, received intensive “counseling” after eating much needed and appreciated home-cooked meals in the presence and company of like-minded souls. As Department Chair and Director of the UNO Transportation Institute, she sacrificed valuable personal time to work with us. Her husband, Mark, inadvertently became part of the “fold” and suffered along with us. Having a committee that also consisted of professors of the caliber of Dr. John Kiefer and Dr. David Gladstone can only be described as winning the lottery. Their belief in my project, ii insight, and guidance confirmed that the work I was doing was important and valuable. The enthusiasm they exhibited for my research was overwhelming. They hung on every word during my proposal and offered valuable suggestions and recommendations for my research that could potentially educate law enforcement leadership and lead to change in the recruitment, employment, assignment, retention, and promotion of women troopers. At the risk of sounding sexist, I never expected men to get excited about the lives of women troopers, especially after a previous male professor read some of my research and characterized it as “sour grapes.” To the women troopers who answered my research questions, and all the women of the asphalt highways who came before and after me, thank you! You are all heroes to me, having sacrificed so much to earn the right to wear the badge. Our organizations and communities are better because of your presence and individual efforts. For those who will remain and those who come after, remember that you do not have to be “one of the boys” because it is the blue that binds us regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, religion, age, or sexual orientation. I cannot forget to mention and thank fellow students who provided me immeasurable support and friendship – Tommy Harrington, Ricky Fernandez, Kevin Brown, Kyle Griffith, and Dennis Thornton, all who appropriately earned the title “Doctor. Finally, I would be nothing in life without the love and support of my daughter, Alex. She is everything and more than a mother could expect or hope of a child – intelligent, independent, loving, funny, and way too accepting of people’s faults and weaknesses. She won’t survive if Armageddon happens! She recently married Brandon, and I am hoping that he will toughen her up a bit. Both of them have been very patient and supportive of me, having seen me under the worst kinds of stress. They still love me; for that I am eternally grateful! iii Table of Contents List of Figures ................................................................................................................................ vi List of Tables ................................................................................................................................ vii Abstract ........................................................................................................................................ viii Chapter 1. Introduction ....................................................................................................................1 Origins of Modern Policing .......................................................................................................1 Chapter 2. Background and Overview ...........................................................................................13 Police Agencies in the United States .......................................................................................19 State Police and Highway Patrol Agencies ..............................................................................22 History of Women and Policing in the United States ..............................................................25 Chapter 3. Theoretical Framework. ...............................................................................................38 Theory ......................................................................................................................................39 The Role of Gender ...........................................................................................................41 Organizational Structure and Culture ................................................................................50 Significance of the Study ..................................................................................................62 Chapter 4. Research Design and Methods. ....................................................................................70 Qualitative Research ................................................................................................................70 Case Study ...............................................................................................................................71 Data ..........................................................................................................................................72 Preliminary Analysis ................................................................................................................77 Validity and Reliability ............................................................................................................80 The Role of the Researcher ......................................................................................................81 Chapter 5. Overview of Findings ...................................................................................................84 Chapter 6. Findings: Through the Looking Glass ..........................................................................87 The Best of the Best: Motivation .............................................................................................87 The Hundred-Billion-Dollar Question: Employment .............................................................92 Chapter 7. Findings: The Tar Meeting the Road .........................................................................112 Hell on Earth: The Academy Experience .............................................................................113 Getting the Uniform and Badge Kinda Gets You into the Club: Proving Yourself .............135 Where Have All the Women Gone?: Searching for Big Foot ..............................................153 Talking People into Handcuffs: Difference ..........................................................................157 iv And They