Penny Harrington
{{Short description|American police officer (1942–2021)}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Penny Harrington
| image =
| alt =
| caption =
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1942|3|2}}
| birth_place = Lansing, Michigan, U.S.
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2021|09|15|1942|3|2}}
| death_place = Morro Bay, California, U.S.
| nationality =
| other_names =
| known_for = First female chief of the Portland Police Bureau, making her the first female to head a major police department in the United States
| spouse = Gary Harrington (divorced)
| occupation =
}}
Penny E. Harrington (March 2, 1942 – September 15, 2021){{cite web|title=Harrington, Penny, 1942-|url=http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n00088833.html|work=Library of Congress Name Authority File|publisher=Library of Congress|accessdate=November 22, 2015|date=June 7, 2000}} was an American police officer who became the first female chief of the Portland Police Bureau, making her the first female to head a major police department in the United States.{{cite web | last = O'Hara | first = Ralph
| title = The History of the Portland Police Bureau; A Look Back
| url = http://www.portlandonline.com/police/index.cfm?c=40004
| publisher = City of Portland, Oregon
| accessdate = February 14, 2012}}
Career
Harrington began working as a policewoman in 1964, when there were only 12 women in her department.{{cite web | last = Bello | first = Grace | title = The Gals in Blue: Where Are the Real-Life Olivia Bensons? | url = http://bitchmagazine.org/post/olivia-benson-kima-greggs-women-police-officers | accessdate = March 16, 2013}} She was appointed chief of the Portland Police Bureau in January 1985.{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-09-16-mn-2040-story.html|title=The State|date=September 16, 1988|work=Los Angeles Times|access-date=November 22, 2015|issn=0458-3035|oclc=3638237}} An investigative report characterized her administration as a failure after 17 months.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/06/03/us/under-fire-woman-quits-as-portland-police-chief.html|title=Under Fire, Woman Quits as Portland Police Chief|last=Turner|first=Wallace|date=1986-06-03|work=The New York Times|access-date=2019-11-02|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}} The recommendation by a three-member panel appointed by Mayor Bud Clark resulted in her resignation in 1986.
In 1987 Harrington filed a federal sex discrimination suit claiming that members of the police department "conspired to embarrass and drive her from office", making it difficult for her to obtain employment following her "forced" resignation.{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-05-14-mn-9103-story.html|title=The Nation: Female Chief Alleges Bias|work=Los Angeles Times|date=May 14, 1987|access-date=February 17, 2012|issn=0458-3035|oclc=3638237}} In 1988 Harrington became a special assistant to the California State Bar's director of investigations to "handle a wide range of special projects, including training and computers".
In 1995, she founded The National Center for Women & Policing with Katherine Spillar, Executive Vice President of the Feminist Majority Foundation. The NCWP aims to promote increasing the number of women throughout all ranks of law enforcement in an effort to improve police response to violence against women, as well as reduce police brutality and excessive force, and improve community policing reforms.{{cite web|url=http://womenandpolicing.com |title=National Center For Women and Policing |publisher=Womenandpolicing.com |accessdate=2015-11-23}} Harrington died on September 15, 2021, in Morro Bay, California, where she lived.{{cite news |first1=Jack |last1=Forrest |title=Penny Harrington, Portland's first female police chief, dies at 79 |url=https://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/2021/09/penny-harrington-portlands-first-female-police-chief-dies-at-79.html |access-date=17 September 2021 |work=The Oregonian |date=17 September 2021 |language=en}}
Bibliography
Harrington was the author of three books. With the NCWP, Harrington helped write Recruiting & Retaining Women: A Self Assessment Guide for Law Enforcement, aimed at helping law enforcement agencies increase and maintain the number of female officers in their units.{{cite web|url=https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/bja/185235.pdf |title=Recruiting and Retaining Women : A Self-Assessment Guide for Law Enforcement |publisher=Ncjrs.gov |accessdate=2015-11-23}} Harrington also co-authored the text Investigating Sexual Harassment in Law Enforcement Agencies with Kimberly A. Lonsway, to address issues of sexual harassment in fire and police departments and promote proactivity through prevention and training.{{cite book|title=Investigating Sexual Harassment in Law Enforcement and Nontraditional Fields for Women |author1=Penny E. Harrington |author2=Kimberly A. Lonsway |year=2007 |isbn=9780131185197 }} In 1999, Harrington wrote an autobiography, published by Brittany Publications, Ltd., titled Triumph of Spirit about her successes, trails, and tribulations during her time working for the police force.{{cite web|url=http://www.brittanypublications.com/triumph-spirit.html |title=Brittany Publications featuring Chief Penny Harrington |publisher=Brittanypublications.com |accessdate=2015-11-23}}{{cite book|title=Triumph of Spirit: An Autobiography by Chief Penny Harrington |isbn=9780941394055 |last1=Harrington |first1=Penny |year=1999 }}
See also
References
{{Reflist|30em}}
External links
- [http://www.portlandonline.com/auditor/index.cfm?a=24880&c=27928 Image: 1985 Police Chief Penny Harrington], Police Sunshine Division
{{Portland Police Bureau}}
{{Portal bar|Biography|Law|Oregon}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Harrington, Penny}}
Category:American women police officers
Category:People from Lansing, Michigan