Before 1974, if women wanted to work for the California Highway Patrol, regulations said they could only work in non-officer jobs.
But women challenged those regulations, and thanks to a federal ruling, the Women Traffic Officer Project (WTOP) was created. The project was a two-year experiment to determine whether women were able to effectively perform state traffic officer duties.
In 1974, for the first time, female cadets entered the CHP Academy alongside their male counterparts. By the end of the 16-week Academy, a female cadet, Deborah A. Street, had captured the pistol shooting award with a perfect 300 score. Academically, five of the top eight graduates were women. The WTOP class proved that women could complete the grueling Academy training, and opened the door of opportunity for others.
The female graduates of that first class, and the many that followed in subsequent classes, showed that women perform the job on an equal level and footing with their male colleagues. Graduation ceremony keynote speaker, Judge Joan Dempsey Klein, told the women, "You carry a heavy burden of responsibility because all eyes are upon you while you are advancing the cause of opportunity for all women."