Patrolling the Darkness: How a City’s First Female Police Officer Loses Herself- And is Arrested by God

Janell Armstrong joined the Police Department at the age of 30. She longed for the great outdoors, but it soon became apparent to her that the great outdoors meant torrential rain, blizzards, and ice storms, during which she was expected to direct traffic while standing in the middle of the street, a target for suspended and unlicensed drivers. In spite of this she loved the people she worked with, and fought to remain in a job where she was granted little or no respect from within the headquarters’ walls. Ironically, she’d had the perfect upbringing for such a position. She’d grown up with a dominant father who believed that a woman’s place was in the kitchen, garden, field, etc. and a mother who was before her time in believing that both men and women were to be respected. As a result, Janell had developed a thick skin, and was impervious to all efforts to puncture it. This book is the story of her fight to stay on the police force.