More than 40 years after Debbie Montgomery made history by becoming St. Paul’s first female police officer, a photograph of her as a rookie cop was unveiled in the police department’s Western District community room Tuesday.
Montgomery’s photo and a plaque about her now join other pictures that grace the room’s walls and tell the story of the department’s history.
When Montgomery became a St. Paul police officer in 1975, she was “setting a trail and a history that had never been set for the city of St. Paul,” said Police Chief Thomas Smith at a ceremony at the Western District at 389 N. Hamline Ave. “… Not only was she the first female police officer … but she was the first African-American female as well. She has been a mentor and a role model throughout her career and even as we speak today (since) she’s been retired.” – READ MORE
