Triumph of Spirit - An Autobiography by Chief Penny E. Harrington
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ISBN 978-0941394-05-5
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"PENNY'S FIGHT AGAINST PREJUDICE AND DISCRIMINATION IS MUST READING."
Dorothy Moses Schulz, John Jay College, New York
Penny Harrington is the first woman in America to break through the bulletproof glass ceiling, and achieve the rank of Chief of a major metropolitan police force. She is regarded by some as a maverick who challenged the system, and by others as a celebrity. She faced discrimination and harassment, personal tragedies and triumphs as she battled a system that is still male-dominated. In this revealing story, Harrington describes with great candor her 23 years in law enforcement, up to and including her promotion to Chief of the Portland Police Bureau in Oregon — and why she left her hard-won position following a scandal and rumors that rocked Portland and were covered in newspapers around the country. (See below to download an Interview with Penny about why she decided to write her memoir, and to read an excerpt from her revealing autobiography.)
"Penny illustrates how one woman's spirit can triumph over the toughest of 'ole' boys clubs." Eleanor Smeal, President, Feminist Majority Foundation
"Beneficial for courses such as Women in the Criminal Justice System and Introduction to Women's Studies." National Women's Studies Association Journal, Spring 2001
"An explosive look at American policing. This gutsy, often hilarious book really packs a punch." Connie Fletcher, PhD, Associate Professor of Communications, Loyola University, Chicago and Author of What Cops Know and Breaking and Entering
"...Penny's fight against prejudice and discrimination is must reading...." Dorothy Moses Schulz, Police Historian and Associate Professor, John Jay College, New York, and Author of From Social Worker to Crimefighter: Women in United States Municipal Policing
Paperback . 282pp . $26.95 . ISBN 978-0941394-05-5
SHIPPING IS FREE TO THE CONTINENTAL UNITED STATES
A note from the Publisher:
Sadly, Penny passed away on September 15, 2021 at the age of 79. When I had asked Penny so many years ago if she would travel this road again, she emphatically answered "I would definitely..." Penny's legacy of commitment to public service, justice, and equality will stand as a beacon of light to any woman or man who chooses a career in law enforcement.
When I first met Penny, it was to interview her for my book, "Top Cops: Profiles of Women in Command." I was writing about women that were making significant cracks in the "bulletproof glass ceiling" of law enforcement. Following the interview, Penny said she had always thought of writing her memoirs—a way of showing and inspiring women who wanted to serve in law enforcement that the road may be hard and full of roadblocks, but that it was worth it. In her words, she said me, "I think all the women you've talked to probably had a really rough road to get to the top. But once you get there, at least to captain and above, you have a major impact...As you get higher in the ranks, and you are actually able to change the way policing is done in the community and change the way your department treats its employees, that's when you get the real satisfaction in knowing you have made a difference...." And, indeed, Penny made a difference. Not only for women in law enforcement, but for any woman who strives to reach through the glass ceiling in professions where the doors to top management were locked tight. Following our interview, Penny asked if my company would like to work with her on her autobiography and publish it. I said "yes" - and we were on our way to the creation of "Triumph of Spirit."
"Triumph of Spirit," Penny's life story, will remain in print for years to come and guaranteed new books are available exclusively from Brittany Publications, Ltd. For information on reprints, electronic/digital, or screen rights to her story, please contact [email protected].
Dorothy Moses Schulz, John Jay College, New York
Penny Harrington is the first woman in America to break through the bulletproof glass ceiling, and achieve the rank of Chief of a major metropolitan police force. She is regarded by some as a maverick who challenged the system, and by others as a celebrity. She faced discrimination and harassment, personal tragedies and triumphs as she battled a system that is still male-dominated. In this revealing story, Harrington describes with great candor her 23 years in law enforcement, up to and including her promotion to Chief of the Portland Police Bureau in Oregon — and why she left her hard-won position following a scandal and rumors that rocked Portland and were covered in newspapers around the country. (See below to download an Interview with Penny about why she decided to write her memoir, and to read an excerpt from her revealing autobiography.)
"Penny illustrates how one woman's spirit can triumph over the toughest of 'ole' boys clubs." Eleanor Smeal, President, Feminist Majority Foundation
"Beneficial for courses such as Women in the Criminal Justice System and Introduction to Women's Studies." National Women's Studies Association Journal, Spring 2001
"An explosive look at American policing. This gutsy, often hilarious book really packs a punch." Connie Fletcher, PhD, Associate Professor of Communications, Loyola University, Chicago and Author of What Cops Know and Breaking and Entering
"...Penny's fight against prejudice and discrimination is must reading...." Dorothy Moses Schulz, Police Historian and Associate Professor, John Jay College, New York, and Author of From Social Worker to Crimefighter: Women in United States Municipal Policing
Paperback . 282pp . $26.95 . ISBN 978-0941394-05-5
SHIPPING IS FREE TO THE CONTINENTAL UNITED STATES
A note from the Publisher:
Sadly, Penny passed away on September 15, 2021 at the age of 79. When I had asked Penny so many years ago if she would travel this road again, she emphatically answered "I would definitely..." Penny's legacy of commitment to public service, justice, and equality will stand as a beacon of light to any woman or man who chooses a career in law enforcement.
When I first met Penny, it was to interview her for my book, "Top Cops: Profiles of Women in Command." I was writing about women that were making significant cracks in the "bulletproof glass ceiling" of law enforcement. Following the interview, Penny said she had always thought of writing her memoirs—a way of showing and inspiring women who wanted to serve in law enforcement that the road may be hard and full of roadblocks, but that it was worth it. In her words, she said me, "I think all the women you've talked to probably had a really rough road to get to the top. But once you get there, at least to captain and above, you have a major impact...As you get higher in the ranks, and you are actually able to change the way policing is done in the community and change the way your department treats its employees, that's when you get the real satisfaction in knowing you have made a difference...." And, indeed, Penny made a difference. Not only for women in law enforcement, but for any woman who strives to reach through the glass ceiling in professions where the doors to top management were locked tight. Following our interview, Penny asked if my company would like to work with her on her autobiography and publish it. I said "yes" - and we were on our way to the creation of "Triumph of Spirit."
"Triumph of Spirit," Penny's life story, will remain in print for years to come and guaranteed new books are available exclusively from Brittany Publications, Ltd. For information on reprints, electronic/digital, or screen rights to her story, please contact [email protected].
| interview_with_penny_harrington.pdf |
Excerpt from TRIUMPH of SPIRIT
In 1905, the City of Portland, Oregon, hired social worker Lola Baldwin and gave her police powers to lead a small force of women charged with protecting the moral safety of women and young girls during the Lewis and Clark Exposition. They were so effective that in 1908 Portland organized the Department of Public Safety for the Protection of Young Girls and Women, and named Baldwin its director.
In 1985, seventy-seven years later, Portland made history again by naming a woman chief of police. It was the first time a major American city chose a woman to occupy its top cop position and the appointment had implications that would go far beyond Portland to change the face of policing forever.
That woman was me. My decision as a young woman, in the 1960s, to study police administration at Michigan State University led me on an incredible and very public journey of professional growth and achievement, personal tragedy and despair, and finally to triumph. I went from being a celebrity to a pariah. I opened many doors to policing for women, only to have them slammed shut in my face. In only one year, I went from being Ms. Magazine's Woman of the Year and one of Harvard Law Schools Top 10 Most Influential Women in Law, to Time magazine's label of Portland's Tarnished Penny...
Copyright (c) 1999 by Penny E. Harrington.
Copyright (c) 2021 Marion E. Gold. All rights reserved by Brittany Publications, Ltd.
In 1905, the City of Portland, Oregon, hired social worker Lola Baldwin and gave her police powers to lead a small force of women charged with protecting the moral safety of women and young girls during the Lewis and Clark Exposition. They were so effective that in 1908 Portland organized the Department of Public Safety for the Protection of Young Girls and Women, and named Baldwin its director.
In 1985, seventy-seven years later, Portland made history again by naming a woman chief of police. It was the first time a major American city chose a woman to occupy its top cop position and the appointment had implications that would go far beyond Portland to change the face of policing forever.
That woman was me. My decision as a young woman, in the 1960s, to study police administration at Michigan State University led me on an incredible and very public journey of professional growth and achievement, personal tragedy and despair, and finally to triumph. I went from being a celebrity to a pariah. I opened many doors to policing for women, only to have them slammed shut in my face. In only one year, I went from being Ms. Magazine's Woman of the Year and one of Harvard Law Schools Top 10 Most Influential Women in Law, to Time magazine's label of Portland's Tarnished Penny...
Copyright (c) 1999 by Penny E. Harrington.
Copyright (c) 2021 Marion E. Gold. All rights reserved by Brittany Publications, Ltd.