Hanging Up Her Uniform

Prichard's first female police officer is hanging up her uniform, 32 years after she broke the glass ceiling to wear it.

Sergeant Jackie Arnold's career in public service began in 1969 as a crossing guard at Ella Grant Elementary School then as a radio dispatcher fielding emergency calls, but it wasn't until 1977 that she became the first woman to carry a badge.

"I think at that time the government was requiring them to hire a female. They didn't have any female police officers at that time," says Arnold. "When I came in the first morning for duty one of the officers said 'she has perfume on', so I said 'was I supposed to wear men's cologne?"

Sergeant Arnold has worked in almost every department, but she spent the most time working with juveniles. In 1996, she was assigned to her current position as supervisor of the Records Division.

Arnold's last day on the job is May 29th, but there are seven women currently on the force who've followed in her footsteps.