THE MALES AND FEMALES WERE MATCHED BY LENGTH OF TIME ON FORCE, PATROL EXPERIENCE, AND TYPE OF PRECINCT. DIRECT OBSERVATION BY POLICE AND CIVILIAN PERSONNEL WAS THE PRINCIPAL RESEARCH METHOD. IN GENERAL, MALE AND FEMALE OFFICERS PERFORMED SIMILARLY: THEY USED THE SAME TECHNIQUES TO GAIN AND KEEP CONTROL AND WERE EQUALLY UNLIKELY TO USE FORCE OR TO DISPLAY A WEAPON. HOWEVER, SMALL DIFFERENCES IN PERFORMANCE WERE OBSERVED. FEMALE OFFICERS WERE JUDGED BY CIVILIANS TO BE MORE COMPETENT, PLEASANT AND RESPECTFUL THAN THEIR MALE COUNTERPARTS, BUT WERE OBSERVED TO BE SLIGHTLY LESS LIKELY TO ENGAGE IN CONTROL-SEEKING BEHAVIOR, AND LESS APT TO ASSERT THEMSELVES IN PATROL DECISIONMAKING. COMPARED TO MALE OFFICERS, FEMALES WERE LESS OFTEN NAMED AS ARRESTING OFFICERS, LESS LIKELY TO PARTICIPATE IN STRENUOUS PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, AND TOOK MORE SICK TIME. SOME OF THE PERFORMANCE DISPARITIES APPEARED ROOTED IN MORALE AND DEPLOYMENT PROBLEMS RESULTING FROM DEPARTMENTAL LAYOFFS, SOCIAL CONVENTIONS, AND ROLE EXPECTATIONS. SITUATIONALLY AND SOCIALLY ENGENDERED DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE PERFORMANCE OF MALE AND FEMALE OFFICERS MIGHT BE REMEDIED BY DIFFERENT DEPLOYMENT AND TRAINING POLICIES. THE STUDY CONCLUDES WITH SUGGESTIONS FOR THE IMPROVEMENT OF THE PATROL PERFORMANCE OF MALE OFFICERS AS WELL AS FEMALE POLICE OFFICERS. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED).