On Monday the Los Angeles Police Department will celebrate 100 years of female officers at the department, according to an LAPD statement. Chief Charlie Beck, Sheriff Lee Baca, several Los Angeles City Council members, and actors who portray women in uniform, including Southland's Regina King, will be on hand Monday morning at the Police Administration Building downtown to mark the occasion.

On Sept. 12, 1010, Alice Stebbins Wells, who had lobbied the council for a special ordinance calling for the hiring of a “policewoman,” was indeed hired, according to the LAPD. As the first woman to become a municipal cop in the nation, her milestone inspired other departments to hire woman. Wells helped to establish the Women's Peace Officers Association of California. According to the LAPD:

… Alice Stebbins Wells was hired as the first female police officer in the United States with full police powers … Today, the women of LAPD serve in every capacity of law enforcement. Their history mirrors that of the Department. During the event [Monday], a reflection of their victorious triumphs, challenging struggles and rewarding accomplishments will be shared through video testimonials, remarks by female Staff Officers and conversations among the anticipated 200 attendees.

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