ADAM EISENBERG, A DIFFERENT SHADE OF BLUE: HOW WOMEN CHANGED THE FACE OF POLICE WORK

Ms. Magazine’s "Great Read - Summer 2009."

A Different Shade of Blue tells the history of female cops in America through the candid voices of 50 women in the Seattle Police Department. As one of the first cities to hire policewomen in 1912, Seattle provides the perfect backdrop to tell an amazing story—women’s ongoing struggle nationwide to fit into the male-dominated police profession.  Three generations of women—black, white, Asian, Latina, gay, straight—share stories of great heroism, from battling an armed assailant inside a patrol car to going undercover to catch an illegal abortionist in the days before Roe v. Wade.  They also offer surprising views on affirmative action, and tell tales of discrimination and harassment that reveal how even today men continue to treat their female co-workers as second-class citizens.  As the women recount their lives and experiences, they prove that female cops are indeed a different shade of blue, and that difference has forever changed the face of police work. 

Adam Eisenberg is the Commissioner of Seattle Municipal Court, where he presides over criminal and traffic court matters.  Before taking the bench, he was a criminal prosecutor, a civil trial attorney, an advocate on mental health and domestic violence issues, and a LA-based entertainment journalist.