Alice Stebbins Wells. Photo courtesy of Officer.com.

Cheers to Officer.com for this column on the history of policewomen. The article tells the story of Alice Stebbins Wells, who became the first female police officer in Los Angeles when hired in 1910.

At the time Wells was a 37-year-old assistant pastor and licensed social worker with two college degrees, columnist Charles Bennet wrote.

“Her selection attracted national exposure because she was a social worker, educated and actively sought the position,” Bennett wrote. “Her job required her to handle all female and juvenile cases and to investigate social conditions that led women and children to become involved in crime.”