This Day in Henrico History: Oct. 16 – Henrico appointed first female police officer in 1965

On October 16, 1965, Elizabeth W. Matthews became the first female police officer in the Henrico County Police Division, according to the department’s official historical account. Her appointment marked a milestone in the evolution of a profession that had long been dominated by men.

The department’s history identifies her as “Liz” Matthews and says she was one of the first, if not the first, women in the United States to serve as a general duty police officer. That broader national claim is the department’s characterization; the independently established local milestone is her appointment as Henrico’s first female officer.

The distinction between general duty police work and positions traditionally assigned to policewomen is significant. Matthews entered a department that was expanding and reorganizing its operations during the 1960s, a period when many police agencies were reassessing assignments, training and advancement.

Henrico’s official history records that the division introduced competitive promotional examinations and reorganized its command structure in 1966. It also expanded its in-house training requirements. Matthews’ arrival preceded those developments by only a few months.

The October 16 anniversary offers a specific date on which to recognize the county’s changing police workforce. The available department history confirms the date and her status as the first woman in the division, but does not by itself establish that she was definitively the first general duty female officer nationally.

Sources: https://henrico.gov/assets/26_Police.pdf; https://henrico.gov/assets/Police_Division_History_w_update.pdf