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On August 12, 1910, Alice Stebbins Wells, a 5'2" Bible-toting preacher, stood before the Los Angeles City Council and Police Commission and petitioned them to become a policewoman.
Alice was a graduate of Oberlin College and Hartford Theological Seminary. She was married and the mother of two children. As a member of the Women's Christian Temperance Union, Alice keenly felt the need for female police officers to better serve the woman and children of Los Angeles. However, in order to fulfill her mission, Alice knew she would have to first convince the men of her generation-who were unwilling...