By John Sangalli
Mary Jo Camponovo (Texas High), Willie Mae Russey (Macedonia High), and Forest Smith (Dunbar) are the three female students in Mr. James Pynes’ police technology course who are passionate about their work.
Russey explained that, as a young person, she had always wanted to be an FBI agent but women were not permitted to participate in federal investigations. “So I decided to try police technology since women are permitted and desperately needed in this area,” she said.
Director Pynes notes that there is a definite need for trained women in Law Enforcement in administrative and office duties so that more men officers can be on field duty.
The law demands the presence of a woman in some police investigations, especially those involving female victims or defendants. Pynes highlighted the importance of having a female officer in these situations.
Forest Smith, the third member of the trio, is interested in criminal investigation. She believes that a woman involved in a crime, as a victim or defendant, will be more likely to open up to a woman investigator.
The students praised their instructor’s teaching methods, saying that the classes would be overcrowded if more students had known about the course initially. They also appreciated Mr. Pynes’ real-life examples, which made the learning experience even more meaningful.
Russey noted that one of the advantages of being a female police officer is that she can gather information from men that male officers might not be able to get. (Feminine Intuition?)