Alice Lennon says more women should consider becoming cops

When Alice Lennon first put on a uniform, gun and badge, there weren't many female police officers.

That was 19 years ago and, while things have changed, Lennon - now a member of the Nevada Legislative Police - says women still face many of the same attitudes when they enter the male-dominated world of police work.

"It's been a good profession, but you've got to have a strong backbone because you really have to prove yourself," she said.

She started as a dispatcher because her former husband was working for the police department in Dillon, Mont. The chief of police asked her to become an officer. When she did, she was one of only three sworn female officers in the state.

It didn't take long to find somewhere she could make a difference, she says. She worked in Dillon five years specializing in sex crimes, spousal and child abuse cases. During that time, she helped develop a rape evidence kit and procedures for handling sex crimes in Montana and assisted in prosecuting 16 rape cases before moving to the Montana Highway Patrol.

Throughout her career, she said, she's had to deal with the stigma male officers attach to women in law enforcement.

"Male egos have a problem accepting the fact that a woman can do the same job, but it's getting better," she said adding the other officers at the Legislative Counsel Bureau "are wonderful people to work with."

She said she gets along well with male officers but that a lot of that depends on "how you handle yourself.

"You have to be able to fit in with the group as they are because they won't change for you," she said.

She said that means it's not a job for women easily offended by strong language or sexist jokes.

Public reactions, she said, have also changed. Twenty years ago, the reaction was often disbelief when she told people what she does.

"Women say, 'Wow, that's really neat,'" she said. "The guys, a lot of them still say things like, 'You can frisk me anytime.'"

After five years working sex crimes and another five years with the Montana Highway Patrol, she said the past seven years in Carson City have been much more low-key.

"One of the first things they tell you here is the job is 99 percent public relations and 1 percent police work," she said. "That's why during the session we wear blazers - to give it a low-key profile."

But, as a result, she says, many people don't realize they're talking with a police officer instead of a security guard.

"There's a big difference," she said. "We're POST (Peace Officer Standards and Training) certified law enforcement officers who carry a gun."

That means unlike security guards, they have the authority to make arrests and to use their weapon if necessary.

She said the public isn't alone in that misconception. She recites a story about calling the Carson City Sheriff's Department for backup several years ago. When a young deputy arrived, he said he'd take over. When she said she'd handle the report, the deputy said he would since she was only a security guard.

"I said, 'Excuse me, I have children older than you, I've been in law enforcement since you were in diapers and I'm not a security guard,'" she said.

The deputy got the message.

She said she enjoys the Legislature and the people, both powerful and common, who come to listen and participate.

"It's great working with them," she said. "I treat people like human beings and, by doing so, you get treated like one. We almost never have confrontations."

During the Legislature, the force expands from eight permanent officers to 24, but Lennon said inexperience isn't a problem. Most of those temporary officers are retirees with 20 or more years of police work behind them.

"We have good people," she said.

When she's not in uniform, Lennon is probably pursuing one of her two hobbies.

"I do floral crafts," she said. "Flowers - especially for weddings - that's my hobby.

"That and riding my Harley," she says with a grin.

"I finally bought one because I got tired of dating creeps who had one," she said. "I don't have to beg for rides any more."