After nearly 37 years, Cincinnati’s last policewoman retires from job

February 8, 2010 at 12:00a.m.

CINCINNATI (AP) — A $50 bet over whether she could get through the hiring process for the job of Cincinnati policewoman in 1973 changed Linda Day’s life forever.

Day figured she’d take the test, walk away with the cash and then turn down the job.

Instead she signed on as a “policewoman” — a very different job than “patrolman.”

Police Specialist Day, the last officer to hold the rank of policewoman, retired recently after nearly 37 years on the job.

“I haven’t been called a policewoman in so long, but when I think about it, it’s an honor,” said Day, 59, dressed in a black jacket and black shoes that have taken her through Cincinnati’s neighborhoods in search of justice for children.

During her last roll call, Day was honored by Mayor Mark Mallory. Cindy Combs, the department’s first female assistant chief, thanked her for mentoring female officers.

When Day started, there were 12 women on the force. Today, 335 of the department’s 1,107 sworn officers are women.

Day said things were different for women in 1973.

The men got desks and typewriters and patrol cars. Women worked on cases such as truancy, runaways and cases of abuse and neglect.

Women wore skirts, stockings and heels — even during the 1977 blizzard.

The ranks of policewoman and patrolman were abolished in 1974 when the department combined them into the rank of police officer.

Day was assigned to the Youth Aid Section, which set her on a career path of helping children and victims of sexual assault.

“The department loses a lot when you leave today,” Chief Thomas Streicher said.