Alice Stebbins Wells

Alice S. Wells
Alice Wells was the first female officer in the LAPD
Born	(1873-06-13)June 13, 1873 Manhattan, KS, United States
Died	August 17, 1957(1957-08-17) (aged 84)
Police career
Department	Los Angeles Police Department
Country	United States
Years of service	1910–1940
Rank	Sworn in as an officer – 1910 Sergeant – 1934
Other work	Official LAPD historian, Speaker

Alice Stebbins Wells (June 13, 1873 – August 17, 1957) was the first American-born female police officer in the United States, hired in 1910 in Los Angeles. She was married and a mother of two.

Alice was a graduate of Oberlin College and Hartford Theological Seminary, where she did a study and concluded there was a large need for woman officers. Also, previously a minister in Kansas and a member of the Women's Christian Temperance Union. Wells joined the Los Angeles Police Department after a long battle of petitioning with many citizens who supported her or that she persuaded. With such a huge community reaction the mayor, police commissioner, and the Los Angeles city council had no other excuse but to let Alice become the first policewoman in the LAPD and was classified under civil service. Wells went on to become the founder and first president of the International Policewomen's Association and traveled throughout America and Canada to promote female officers.

Since 1891, law enforcement agencies had employed women only for the care of female prisoners. After Wells successfully petitioned for a place on the LAPD and was sworn in on September 12, 1910, she was hired and equipped with a telephone call box key, a police rule book and first aid book, and the "Policewoman's Badge Number One". Wells was responsible for hand sewing her own police uniform, which was the first police woman's uniform in the United States. It was a floor-length dress and jacket. A reproduction of this very outfit is on display at The Los Angeles Police Historical Society Museum. Wells was assigned to work with the LAPD's first juvenile officer, and was quickly the subject of an order issued by the force that ruled that young women could now only be questioned by female police officers. Wells began her career supervising skating rinks and dance halls, as well as interacting with female members of the public. In addition, although Wells was a sworn officer she was not entitled to carry a gun, unlike male officers. Two years after Wells joined the force, two other female officers were sworn in, with all female officers now under the control of the Civil Service. Sixteen other cities and several foreign countries hired female police officers as a direct result of Wells' activities by 1915, when Wells created the International Policewomen's Association . She always advocated for more women officers to help youth in need and women who might not feel comfort in speaking to policemen. Wells furthermore founded and was the president of Los Angeles Social Hygiene Society where she supported sex education in the city of Los Angeles.