America’s First Policewoman

In the gaslight era of the 1880s and 1890s, when the Joe Phenix stories take place, law enforcement was almost exclusively male. The first female police officer in America, Alice Stebbins Wells, was not sworn in until 1910 in Los Angeles. Her story represents a remarkable chapter in the evolution of policing — from the rough-and-tumble world of nightstick-carrying beat cops to a more diverse and professional force.

This fascinating article traces her courageous pursuit of justice against an insidious cult, at a time when women in policing were met with skepticism and outright hostility. Wells’s determination paved the way for generations of women in law enforcement, challenging the assumption that detective work was solely a man’s domain.

For readers of the Dark Lantern Tales series, her story provides a striking contrast to the exclusively male world of 1890s policing depicted in the novels — and a reminder of how much the profession would change in the decades that followed.