HERSHEY, Pa. – Pennsylvania State Police celebrated 50 years of women in its ranks Thursday by honoring the trailblazers who broke through its all-male barrier and made history as the first female state troopers.
Fourteen women graduated from the Pennsylvania State Police Academy with the 31st Cadet Class, the first to admit female cadets, on July 7, 1972.
Surviving members of the group were invited to a ceremony in their honor at the academy in Hershey.
“These women were motivated to enlist by a sense of duty and a genuine interest in police work,” said Col. Robert Evanchick, commissioner of the Pennsylvania State Police. “We owe them a debt of gratitude for their roles in breaking barriers and blazing trails that have helped make this department what it is today.”
PSP was the nation’s first state police agency to fully integrate female troopers into the regular command structure.
* Article from: tribdem.com