ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Nellie McElroy made history as the first female officer in the Rochester Police Department and the entire state of New York. Her groundbreaking role paved the way for women in law enforcement, a field traditionally dominated by men.
Christine Ridarsky, Rochester and Monroe County historian, said McElroy was considered a police matron. Her duties were very different than her male colleagues at the time. McElroy was mostly assigned to what they called vice crimes, which is crimes involving women and young girls.
“It was a different sort of job, and in many ways she was treated almost as a mother figure….in many ways, she was a social worker,” said Ridarsky…