Margaret York (August 4, 1941 – October 17, 2021) was an American police officer, considered to have had a groundbreaking impact during her time in the Los Angeles Police Department. She was reported to be the inspiration for the American television show Cagney & Lacey.

LAPD career

She began working for the Los Angeles Police Department in 1965 as a radio operator, and then attended the police academy and became an officer in 1968.[1] After 24 years in the department she was promoted in 1992 to Captain at the age of 51. She was the fourth woman to achieve that rank in the department.[2] She was promoted to Commander in 1997, only the second woman to rise to that rank.[3] In 2000 she was the first woman promoted to the rank of Deputy Chief. She retired from LAPD in 2002 and became the final chief of the Los Angeles County Office of Public Safety, a special purpose police department for parks, public buildings, and other county facilities.[1] The LACOPS was disbanded in 2009 and the roles, but not the staff, were transferred to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.[4]

York was partnered with another woman, Helen Kidder, in the homicide department in the 1970s[5] and they reportedly had the highest rate of confessions of any team.[2][6] That team was reportedly the inspiration for the television show Cagney & Lacey that paired two female detectives, although the show was situated in New York City.[1]

O. J. Simpson trial

In 1981 York and Judge Lance Ito married.[5] During the O. J. Simpson murder case trial, over which Judge Ito presided, a key witness in the trial was Mark Fuhrman, a police officer who once was a subordinate of York's. Fuhrman had been caught on tape disparaging York, and the prosecution in the trial threatened to call York as a witness as a way to disqualify Ito from continuing his role in the case.[7]

Personal life

York was involved in philanthropic work, particularly with the Salvation Army. She died on October 17, 2021, at the age of 80. She was survived by her husband and two sons and a daughter from a previous marriage.[8]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Deutsch, Linda (October 28, 2021). "Peggy York dies; first woman LAPD deputy chief, inspiration for TV's 'Cagney & Lacey'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 Stewart, Jocelyn Y. (October 31, 1992). "7 Promoted to LAPD Rank of Captain". Los Angeles Times. p. B9.
  3. ↑ Lait, Matt (August 22, 1997). "Parks Unveils Sweeping Reorganization of LAPD". Los Angeles Times. p. 1.
  4. ↑ "County to merge public safety units | Los Angeles Wave - Community News, Sports & Entertainment | Northeast Eition". 2011-07-09. Archived from the original on 2011-07-09. Retrieved 2023-08-20.
  5. 1 2 Seelye, Katherine Q (November 4, 2021). "Margaret York, 80, L.A.P.D. Trailblazer Who Inspired 'Cagney & Lacey,' Dies". New York times. p. B15. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
  6. ↑ Nazario, Sonia (June 5, 1993). "A Force to be Reckoned With: Although still rare, female officers are changing the way police patrol the streets". Los Angeles Times. p. 1.
  7. ↑ "The Relevance of the Detective's Tapes". New York Times. August 18, 1995. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
  8. ↑ Margaret York, police officer who helped to inspire the detective series Cagney & Lacey – obituary
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