DATA WERE COLLECTED ON ALL FEMALES AGE 17 AND OVER WHO HAD BEEN ARRESTED BY THE TAMPA POLICE DEPARTMENT FOR THE YEARS 1962 AND 1972. THESE YEARS WERE CHOSEN BECAUSE THIS DECADE INCLUDED YEARS IN WHICH MAJOR CHANGES WERE MADE. IN 1972 THERE WERE 1,147 ARRESTS, WHILE IN 1962 ONLY 464 ARRESTS WERE MADE. DATA FROM THE STUDY INDICATE THAT THE POPULATION IN 1972 WAS YOUNGER, HAD A HIGHER PROPORTION OF BLACKS AND WAS MORE LIKELY TO BE SINGLE. IN 1962, THE POPULATION RANGED FROM 17 TO 82 YEARS OF AGE WITH A MEDIAN AGE OF 32; IN 1972 THE SAMPLE RANGED FROM 17 TO 80 WITH A MEDIAN AGE OF 23 YEARS OF AGE. ABOUT 78 PERCENT OF THE 1972 ARRESTEES HAD PREVIOUS ARREST RECORDS COMPARED TO 62.5 PERCENT OF THE 1962 ARRESTEES. MORE EVIDENCE OF SPECIALIZATION IN A CERTIAN TYPE OF CRIME WAS NOTED. ALSO, IN 1972 FEMALES WERE MORE LIKELY TO WORK IN PAIRS OR GROUPS TO COMMIT CRIMES THAN IN 1962. PROPERTY CRIMES SHOWED THE MOST SIGNIFICANT INCREASES. THERE WAS AN INCREASE IN VOLUME, AND A CORRESPONDING INCREASE IN THE PROPORTION OF PROPERTY CRIMES COMPARED TO ALL CRIMES COMMITTED. INCREASES IN SHOPLIFTING ACCOUNTED FOR 95 PERCENT OF THE RISE IN PROPERTY CRIMES. IT IS NOTEWORTHY THAT THERE WAS ALSO A RISE IN THE TYPICALLY MALE-DOMINATED PROPERTY OFFENSES SUCH AS BURGLARY AND AUTO THEFT, AS WELL AS INCREASES IN VIOLENT CRIMES. IN THE FOUR CATEGORIES OF CRIMES COMMITTED, IT IS SEEN THAT THE RATE OF FEMALE OFFENSES HAS RISEN, BOTH IN RATE AND VOLUME. TABLES, REFERENCES, AND FOOTNOTES ARE INCLUDED. (STB)