Jane Hoffer: on the Beat 1975-1979 April 19, 2011

In the mid-1970s, photographer Jane Hoffer decided to aim her lens at a still relatively new phenomenon...women police officers on patrol. More than 40 of Hoffer's works are strikingly real and emotionally honest. They capture the diversity of what women were doing in the NYPD by the late-1970s: from serving as Police Academy instructors to riding horseback on the Mounted Auxiliaries to regular foot patrols across the five boroughs. Her pictures record a profound desire to be treated with equality and respect. They also capture gritty pride and rock-solid strength