October 8, 1974

“U Women model rookies”

MINNESOTA DAILY

By Dave Preus

Three women hired as University police officers last year are called model rookies by University Police Chief Eugene Wilson but, some of the department’s male officers still doubt that the women can handle all police duties as well as a man.

Although University police agree that women officers are needed, three patrolmen said perhaps women should not be assigned to standard patrol duty. “I think in the eyes of many men in the department it is a question mark whether a woman can do the same job as a man does," an officer, who asked that his name not be used, said. “Who would you rather have beside you if you ran into a tough situation at three in the morning— a little woman or a big man?” he added.

The officer and Patrolman Matthew Kupcho both said male 'officers might be overly protective of a female partner and take greater risks themselves. “I think we all have reservations (about women on street patrol),” Patrolman Harry Michalicek added.

However, Julie Brunzell, Robin Lee and Regan Metcalf have all received good ratings on their patrol duty to date, training director Lieutenant Arthur Kirby said. “The women we’ve hired are capable of doing any job we assign male officers,” Kirby said. “We’re better off with the women than without them,” Kirby said. “It’s nice to have a gal around when you get involved in a (citizens’) domestic quarrel.” He added that federal affirmative action guidelines will likely increase the number of women officers in police departments across the country and said he believes a department with a sizeable percentage of women officers would be as effective as an all-male force.

Brunzell and Lee, hired last January, and Metcalf, hired last March, patrol the University area and attend numerous training sessions, including 120 hours of rape crisis counseling. Rape cases are now referred to the women officers and thus far their counseling work has been praised.

John Brooker, assistant chief, said. Both Lee and Brunzell said they like their jobs and they had encountered no special professional problems yet because of their size or sex, adding that most of their patrol duty has been routine work such as parking or traffic detail. “This is the first job I’ve ever had where I don’t mind coming to work at all,” Brunzell said. She said she occasionally thinks of how she would handle a tough physical situation and feels “it will just be a matter of time before I get punched in the face.” But she said she is becoming more confident and thinks her size would interfere professionally in only a small fraction of her patrol time.