I want to know who the First Female Police Officer in the Tempe AZ
Police Department was?

Hello kimberlywipp,

I passed along your question to the Tempe Historical Museum (
http://www.tempe.gov/museum/default.asp ).  The Curator of History,
John Akers, replied to me.  He obtained the answer from the Tempe
Police Department.

According to this information, the first two women were hired on the
same day, April 9, 1973: Martha Burkett and Patricia Burgess.  A third
woman, Joyce Adams, was hired within a day or so afterwards.

You might be interested to know that Martha Burkett, by the time of
her retirement from the Tempe Police Department, had become a Deputy
Commander.

"Region 2025 Vision: A Regional Partnership for the Future" [scroll
down to second page, under "Committee Members"]
Maricopa Association of Governments
http://www.mag.maricopa.gov/archive/vv2025/Presentations/2025-mem.pdf

I hope that this information is helpful.

- justaskscott-ga


Search terms used on Google:

tempe
"tempe police"
"martha burkett" tempe

[I also searched for public information on the other two women
mentioned in my answer, but did not find anything.]

Hello kimberlywipp,

So close - yet so far. I was able to find a few things :

"Two years after joining the force, Rebecca became the department’s
first female mounted officer and later the first female Corporal."
http://www.tempe.gov/hrc/docs/2000%20diversity%20award%20winners.htm

It's located at the very bottom of the page. It's not quite what you
needed though. I will keep my eyes open.

SgtCory