TRADITIONAL POLICE JOBS FOR FEMALES WERE SEGREGATED INTO DIVISIONS DEALING WITH PROTECTION OF WOMEN AND CHILDREN. HOWEVER, BETWEEN 1968 AND 1974, THE NUMBER OF WOMEN ON ACTIVE PATROL INCREASED FROM 1 TO MORE THAN 1,000 RESULTING FROM EXTENSION OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS ACT TO COVER PUBLIC EMPLOYEES, APPEARANCE OF A WELL-PUBLICIZED REPORT ON WOMEN IN POLICING, AND AN EXPERIMENT WITH FEMALE PATROL OFFICERS IN WASHINGTON, D.C., WHERE A 1972 STUDY EVALUATED THE PERFORMANCE OF 86 MALE AND 86 FEMALE PATROL OFFICERS WITH SIMILAR TRAINING AND PATROL DUTIES. GENERAL CONCLUSIONS OF THE STUDY INDICATED THAT THE TWO GROUPS PERFORMED PATROL WORK IN A SIMILAR MANNER, RESPONDED TO SIMILAR TYPES OF CALLS, AND ENCOUNTERED SIMILAR PROPORTIONS OF CITIZENS WHO WERE DANGEROUS, UPSET, DRUNK, OR VIOLENT. THERE WERE NO REPORTED INCIDENTS WHICH CAST SERIOUS DOUBT ON THE ABILITY OF WOMEN TO PERFORM PATROL WORK SATISFACTORILY. INTEGRATION OF WOMEN INTO POLICE FORCES HAS CAUSED PROBLEMS SUCH AS THE NECESSITY FOR OFFICERS TO REASSESS VIEWS ON SEX ROLES, HOSTILITY AND PREJUDICE AMONG MALE POLICE CHIEFS AND TENURED OFFICERS AGAINST WOMEN OFFICERS, AND FEAR OF SEXUAL MISCONDUCT AMONG OFFICERS. MANY MALE OFFICERS ASSERT THAT WOMEN ARE PHYSICALLY INFERIOR TO MEN AND PSYCHOLOGICALLY UNSTABLE. ACCORDING TO THE RESULTS OF STUDIES BY THE URBAN INSTITUTE IN WASHINGTON, D.C., AND THE POLICE FOUNDATION, USE OF WOMEN ON PATROL HAS FORCED POLICE OFFICIALS TO RETHINK CERTAIN TRADITIONAL PRACTICES, EXPECIALLY IN SELECTION (E.G., PHYSICAL CRITERIA SUCH AS HEIGHT), TRAINING, AND PERFORMANCE EVALUATION. IT WAS ALSO NOTED IN THE STUDIES THAT USE OF FEMALE PATROL OFFICERS IMPROVED POLICING FOR THE COMMUNITY. REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED--DAG)