Despite equal employment opportunity laws, affirmative action policies, and studies which demonstrate the capability of females, women, who are 45 percent of the national labor force, account for only 8 percent of all municipal police officers in the United States. The findings of this study of Florida police departments indicate that the distribution of sworn female officers does not resemble local labor market conditions. Neither the degree of parity between men and women in local economic conditions nor the availability of a qualified female applicant pool affects agency gender composition. Although the present study focuses solely on police agencies, females in other criminal justice professions encounter hostility and resistance when they are hired or promoted. The experiences of female correctional officers resemble the difficulties that women have encountered in law enforcement. However, there have been some gains. Women now constitute 43 percent of the new professorate in criminal justice and criminology programs on college and university campuses. Tables, references