ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Nellie McElroy made history as the first female officer in the Rochester Police Department and the entire state of New York. Her groundbreaking role paved the way for women in law enforcement, a field traditionally dominated by men.
Christine Ridarsky, Rochester and Monroe County historian, said McElroy was considered a police matron. Her duties were very different than her male colleagues at the time. McElroy was mostly assigned to what they called vice crimes, which is crimes involving women and young girls.
“It was a different sort of job, and in many ways she was treated almost as a mother figure….in many ways, she was a social worker,” said Ridarsky.
McElroy joined the Rochester Police Department in 1913. Ridarsky said it wasn’t until the mid-20th century that women began taking on roles similar to men. McElroy became a mentor to many at-risk women, creating a voluntary probation program to help them turn their lives around.
“I’ve met female police officers. You know, when they’re aware of the history, they do hold Nellie McElroy up as a model,” said Ridarsky.
Now women walk in and out of the public safety building everyday. Officer Michelle Calderon of the Rochester Police Department expressed pride in McElroy’s legacy.
“I am proud of that. Proud that she worked in the Rochester Police Department,” said Calderon.
Calderon didn’t always want to wear the uniform.
“I kind of had a hard childhood poverty to mess around and drug addiction, incarceration in our home,” said Calderon. “So being a police officer was definitely not something I ever thought about.”
Despite these challenges, Calderon has been with the force for more than two decades.
“It completely changed my life for the better,” Calderon said. “This is by far the best thing I could have did for myself and my family.”
Calderon emphasized the importance of having more women in the police department. Her identical twin sister followed in her footsteps years later.
“It’s very important that we have many women in this department, which we don’t have as many as I would love,” Calderon said.
The Rochester Police Department currently has 156 female officers, making up about 21% of the workforce.
Calderon also addressed the challenges women face in law enforcement today.
“I think you’re going to see it anywhere that for instance, I’m five foot one. So when I would come walking in, people would be like, well, I hope you have a man coming with you.” she said. “But I think that’s part of being on this. In this job, you have to learn how to have command presence. You have to know how to carry yourself.”
McElroy served 23 years with the Rochester Police Department before her death in 1937. She was the 10th female officer in the country.
Rochester’s first female officer remembered for paving the way for women in policing WHEC.com.
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