THE HISTORICAL REVIEW, WHICH BEGINS WITH THE HIRING OF SIX PRISON MATRONS IN NEW YORK CITY IN 1845, POINTS UP THE SCARCITY OF ATTEMPTS TO DETERMINE BOTH THE ROLE FEMALE POLICE OFFICERS SHOULD PLAY IN THE POLICE ORGANIZATION AND THE ABILITY OF FEMALES TO PERFORM SPECIFIC POLICE FUNCTIONS. PHYSIOLOGICAL COMPARISONS BETWEEN MEN AND WOMEN, TRAINING CONSIDERATIONS, INTELLECTUAL DIFFERENCES BETWEEN SEXES, WOMEN'S ROLE, ROLE ACQUISITION, AND MOTIVATION ARE DISCUSSED AS FACTORS IN ASSESSING FEMALE PERFORMANCE OF POLICE FUNCTIONS. TWO STUDIES DESIGNED TO EVALUATE FEMALE PERFORMANCE IN POLICE ACADEMY TRAINING PROGRAMS ARE REVIEWED. ISSUES IMPINGING ON THE FUTURE OF WOMEN IN LAW ENFORCEMENT ARE NOTED, INCLUDING RESEARCH METHODOLOGY, PHYSICAL COMPETENCE, THE FEMALE OFFICER'S ROLE, DIFFUSION OF VIOLENCE, AND TRAINING. STUDIES COMPARING THE PERFORMANCE OF MALE AND FEMALE PATROL OFFICERS IN PENNSYLVANIA, CALIFORNIA, WASHINGTON, D.C., ST. LOUIS, MO., AND NEW YORK, N.Y., ARE REVIEWED. A TAXONOMY OF 70 ISSUES IS PRESENTED AS A POINT OF DEPARTURE FOR RESEARCH ON WOMEN IN LAW ENFORCEMENT. EACH ENTRY IN THE TAXONOMY STATES AN ISSUE (E.G., AGGRESSION LEVEL OF OFFICERS), APPROPRIATE METHODS OF INVESTIGATION (PERSONNEL FILE, SURVEY, OBSERVATION), TIME FRAME (PRE-EMPLOYMENT, ACADEMY, PROBATION, POSTPROBATION), AND RATIONALE (IF FEMALE OFFICERS ARE LESS AGGRESSIVE YET CAPABLE OF DEALING WITH ENFORCEMENT CONFRONTATIONS, THEIR PERFORMANCE MAY LESSEN THE AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOR OF MALE OFFICERS AND IMPROVE THE PUBLIC IMAGE OF THE AGENCY). A BIBLIOGRAPHY IS INCLUDED.