Once upon a time, Chicago had policewomen—real, skirt-wearing, gun-carrying women of the law. They weren’t the hardened patrol types, but they were there when needed. Their duties were almost always centered around dealing with women prisoners, abandoned children, or the offspring of arrested adults. The policewomen were corralled into the Youth Division, dealing with runaways and abused or delinquent kids. And yes, they were protected—zealously so. You wouldn’t catch one out on a midnight beat or in a dangerous situation. They had the same training and powers as their male counterparts and carried guns, but danger? Not on their watch. Back then, the sight of a policewoman was as rare as a unicorn. In the 1960s and early ’70s, there were just 90 policewomen in a force of 14,000 men. Adding to the confusion were the “matrons”—female officers limited to tending women in lockups, sworn in but barred from carrying firearms. Their stylish uniforms, reminiscent of airline stewardesses, were ...