Volume X
Number 37
THE STATE February 13
1943
A Weekly Survey of North Carolina
Entered u ifeond-elBU mutter. June 1. 1033.
*«
the I’o.tofflc* at Ralelr>. North Carolina, under the Act of March 3, 1879.
Women
Cops
There» are now eight
traffic police women in
Asheville and every¬
body admits that they
are making highly ef¬
ficient officers.
«I/
BILL SHARPE
IN Asheville these Jays if von see
a lady in a retl cape and a red
oversea •* cap, you’re looking al
a traffic cop and you will lie Aviso
to check your speedometer reading.
She is a full-fledged member of the
Asheville police force with just a*
much authority to «Tito out a ticket
•■ailing for ten dollars and costs as
any male blue-coated Asheville pa¬
trolman.
Asheville has eight women traffic
police, led by Mrs. Mary Jo Eller, as
captain. They are the answer to the
manpower shortage, the draft and
military volunteering, which has
made inroads into Asheville’s finest.
The larger cities have long had
policewomen stationed at precinct
stations, reformatories and the like
for the handling of women prisoners.
But the Asheville squad of women
cops is thought by Chief Charles Dor-
mid. to be the first of their sex to
lake over full traffic and peace of¬
ficer duties, in tho nation.
At first, the Avomen have been sta¬
tioned at school zones, since they were
first inducted into office a mouth or
more ago. This, says Chief Dermid,
is au educational duty, to got them
acquainted with the duties of traffic
•■ops and gain experience. If the men
keep marching off to Avar, says the
Chief, Asheville motorists are likely
to sec a red-caped policeAvoman on
When one of the women-officers stops a motorist for traffic violations, the
motorist doesn’t argue: he knows very well that she means business.
duty at Pack Square or at any other
vital traffic center.
Mrs. Eller’s squad is composed of
married women, and some of them
hav’e husbands in tho service. One
or two widows are also on the force.
None of them is the wife of a police¬
man.
Л
prerequisite, informally
established according to Chief Der¬
mid, is that the members of flie squad
be married and of mature years and
judgment. The aA-erage age of the
squad is from 36-37.
Mrs. Eller, five feet six inches and
attractive brunette, is the Avifc of a
ncwspa|*er man and the mother of
two children; son. 11 and daughter.
4. She likes her Avork and she has
nof it to do, ns to her is assigned
ity of allotting days of duty
and posts for the members of her
squad. Although the women went to
work for the city of Asheville in one
of the worst sieges of weather vet
experienced here, not a Avoman whim¬
pered and an “extra” has had but
one day’s Avork so far. Mrs. Eller,
like her sisters, reports for duly at
eight and has five hours duty each
day.
The women have flaming red capes
and overseas caps of Avarm material
issued to them. They also have rain¬
coats and sou’wester typo rain hel¬
mets AA'hcu the weather gets drizzly.
Other clothing is supplied by the
Avomen themselves and most have pur¬
chased olive-drab ski suits. Each
feminine cop lias as much authority
as a regular officer over misdemeanors
and felonies. Each has a whistle and
a badge, hut no gun or blackjack
persuader is issued to them. The rough
stuff will he left to the men.
Asheville, now fully nware of the
Avar through casualties arriving at
Moore Army Hospital, navy men at
Grove Park Inn, and the federal
auditing bureau newlv moved to
Asheville from Washington and
housed in the Grove Aracade build¬
ing, has taken the AA-omen cops in
stride as just another manifestation
of the needs of the nation at war.
t
