Introduction
Growing up as a young child playing house, I always knew there was something different about the way I played. I was not your typical house mom who stayed home all day to cook dinner and iron. My name was Dee Dee McCall, and I was a detective for the L.A.P.D. carrying my cap gun everywhere I went. I did not stay at home to take care of the kids; I went to work where I would chase criminals around my neighborhood. Even at a very young age, I knew what I wanted to do with my life; I want a career in law enforcement. It all started when I would watch cop related shows on television with my mom. The shows which brought out my interest were, Father Dowling Mysteries (a priest and nun solve crimes), Cops (a documentary type series that includes ride-alongs with actual police officers), Murder She Wrote (a woman author who solves crimes) and of course Hunter (a male sergeant named Hunter and his female partner named McCall solve crimes for the L.A.P.D.); the series where my character Dee Dee emerged from. However, according to Susan E. Martin, author of, Women on the Move? A Report on the Status of Women in Policing, even in today’s world where “female police officers now make up nearly 14% of sworn personnel up from just 2% in 1972,” they still face many challenges in the field of law enforcement. One particular challenge I believe that they face is being labeled as a certain type of cop. The typical stereotype often perceived is that of a policewoman or a defeminized police officer. In this paper I will explain what characteristics are associated with defeminized policewomen and how popular culture presents this fairly accurate image to the public.
Rick Hunter and Dee Dee McCall of the TV series Hunter
Jessica Fletcher played by Angela Lansbury. A scene from Murder She Wrote
Tracy Nelson who played Sister Stephanie 'Steve' Oskowski on Father Dowling Mysteries